Re-escalation in Afghanistan: Top US general calls for 'a few thousand' more troops

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Re-escalation in Afghanistan: Top US general calls for 'a few thousand' more troops
Published time: 9 Feb, 2017 21:07
RE: https://www.rt.com/usa/376874-afghan...ase-stalemate/

After 15 years, much bloodshed and hundreds of billions of dollars spent, the US should re-escalate its troop level in Afghanistan, a top US military commander says, to properly train Afghan troops amid ongoing advances of insurgent fighters.

Calling the situation in Afghanistan a "stalemate," Army General John Nicholson told the US Senate Armed Services Committee that while he has enough troops for counterrterrorism operations against the likes of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters, he would like several thousand more in order to boost capabilities of Afghan security forces. Nicholson said any troop injections could come from the US military or NATO nations.

"I have adequate resources in my counterterrorism mission," Nicholson said Thursday, according to reports. "In my train, advise and assist mission, however, we have a shortfall of a few thousand. This is in the NATO train, advise and assist mission, so it can come from America or its allies."

About 8,400 US troops and about 6,400 NATO soldiers remain in Afghanistan following the large-scale NATO troop reduction there in 2014. US-led forces entered Afghanistan to remove Taliban control more than 15 years ago following the attacks on the US of September 11, 2001.

Counterterror missions can be conducted with temporary support from US troops stationed in other nations, he said, according to The Hill.

"When we need to do additional operations, we can surge assets into the country," Nicholson told the committee. He added: "This has proven to be a successful tactic."

To break the current "stalemate," however, would require an increase in troops stationed in Afghanistan in order to adequately train Afghan forces, he said. He also specifically called for increased funding for Afghanistan's air force.

"This investment which we are requesting the Afghan air force will help them, as you mentioned, to take over responsibility for their own close air support," he said. "And even more importantly, this then will to an offensive capability that allows them to overmatch the Taliban or any other group on the battlefield anywhere around the country."

The US has spent well more than $750 billion in Afghanistan since 2001, according to the National Priorities Project.

More than 5,500 Afghan troops were killed during the first eight months of 2016, according to Reuters, which added that Afghan security forces control at most two-thirds of the country. From the beginning of the war in Afghanistan through the end of 2014, about 22,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers died, according to Neta Crawford, co-director of the Costs of War Project.

Nicholson also recommended a "holistic review" of the US relationship with Pakistan, where militant groups such as the Haqqani network have found refuge in the nation's Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the southeastern border of Afghanistan.

From 2001 to mid-2016, 173,000 civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan have died amid the American-led war, according to the Costs of War Project. More than 183,000 civilians have been seriously wounded in that time.

More than 3,500 coalition troops have died fighting in the Afghanistan war, according to iCasualties.org.

Russia supporting Taliban, general says

During his committee testimony, Nicholson also said Russia has sought to undercut the NATO mission in Afghanistan by acting to "legitimize and support" the Taliban. Afghan officials have alleged that Russia has provided political support, at least, to Taliban insurgents.

Russian officials have denied offering any aid to insurgents, insisting that its efforts aim to help encourage Taliban officials to accept peace talks with the Afghan government. Taliban leaders have refused to engage in such talks while foreign forces remain in the country.

In an interview with Russia's TASS news agency published on Thursday, a Russian foreign ministry official said Moscow would like to renew cooperative efforts with NATO in Afghanistan. Zamir Kabulov said increased insurgent activity in Afghanistan warrants no further US troop withdrawal from the nation.

"The situation with security in this country is deteriorating, while Afghan national security forces are unable to stand against armed opposition due to a number of reasons," Kabulov said.

NATO continues to move supplies through Russia that are intended for use in Afghanistan.

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Top US general says Afghanistan war at 'stalemate,' more troops needed
By Lucas Tomlinson, Jennifer Griffin Published February 09, 2017
RE: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...ps-needed.html

n a stark admission, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan told Capitol Hill lawmakers Thursday that after 15 years of war, the conflict remains a “stalemate” – and said thousands more troops are needed to train Afghan forces.

Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, Jr. offered lawmakers a grim assessment about the prospects for truly ending a war that so far has cost more than 2,000 American lives -- and billions of dollars -- since 2001. The challenge, he testified, is made even tougher by Russia and Iran’s aid to the Taliban, amid signs the militant group is making territorial gains.

“I believe we're in a stalemate,” Nicholson told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., when asked directly if the U.S. and its allies are winning or losing.

He said he has “adequate” resources for counterterrorism, but is facing a shortfall of a few-thousand troops to train Afghan forces.

He made clear those additional troops could come from allies as well as the U.S., and said the subject would be on the table when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis attends a NATO defense meeting next week in Brussels.

At the Senate hearing Thursday, Nicholson also told lawmakers a U.S. special forces soldier had been “severely wounded” that morning in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. Twelve Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October.

In further evidence that the war is far from over despite then-President Barack Obama declaring an end to the combat mission in 2014, the United Nations reported Monday a record number of Afghan civilians were killed in Afghanistan last year. The report said nearly 3,500 were killed and nearly 8,000 wounded. A government watchdog group also says the Afghan government only controls 60 percent of the country right now.

Five Americans continue to be held hostage in Afghanistan, according to Nicholson.

At the White House, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump would “heed the advice” of his generals and defense secretary, but said no decision was imminent.

Restrictions on troop levels in the past administration forced the U.S. military to rely on expensive contractors.

"We have roughly a two-to-one ratio of contractors to soldiers,” said Nicholson. Currently, there are 8,400 American troops in Afghanistan, which would put the number of civilian contractors at nearly 17,000. Nicholson said soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley were forced to stay home when their aviation brigade deployed to Afghanistan to adhere to troops limits set under the Obama administration.

“This contract for maintenance runs into the tens of millions of dollars, and then the soldiers who are trained to be mechanics are sitting back at Fort Riley not having the opportunity to do their job. So this has a direct impact on army readiness and it also costs us more money,” Nicholson said.

Some say Afghanistan has become the “forgotten war,” despite more American troops on the ground there than in Iraq engaged in the ISIS fight. The subject rarely surfaced on the campaign trail. President Trump mentioned Afghanistan just once to express gratitude for Americans serving there, in prepared remarks while visiting U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., earlier this week.

While Trump has given his generals 30 days to come up with a draft plan to ramp up the ISIS fight, the same request was not made for Afghanistan, where Nicholson says the Russians and the Iranians are now actively supporting the Taliban.

“When we look at Russia and Iranian actions in Afghanistan, I believe that, in part, they’re [trying] to undermine the United States and NATO,” he said.

Russia's support for the Taliban began last year, according to Nicholson.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said, “I think we better let President Trump know that.”

“Yes sir,” Nicholson replied.

Nicholson said Iran is actively recruiting Afghans to fight in Syria, a situation that could blow back on Kabul when those fighters return home.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., questioned the resources spent on the war so far, a number that has reached $117 billion.

"Adjusted for inflation the U.S. has spent more on Afghanistan's reconstruction than it did on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Western Europe after World War II. Reconstructing Afghanistan has now become the largest expenditure to rebuild a single country in our nation's history,” he said.

There are fewer American troops on the ground in Afghanistan than any time since 2002. Following the reduction of 1,400 troops at the end of the year, the number stands at a mere 10 percent of the 100,000 at the height of the Obama administration’s surge in 2011.

Today, there are nearly 6,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq.

While some questioned the high cost of America’s longest war, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Nicholson, “If the United States just said ‘we've had enough, you know, 15 years is long enough, let's just roll up our operation there and come home,’ do think that we would face the risk of an attack planned and directed from Afghanistan?”

“Yes, senator, definitely,” Nicholson replied.

Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

Jennifer Griffin currently serves as a national security correspondent for FOX News Channel . She joined FNC in October 1999 as a Jerusalem-based correspondent. You can follow her on Twitter at @JenGriffinFNC.

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More on this having Russian influence - see below

U.S. brass says ‘few thousand’ more troops needed in Afghanistan, hints Russia backing Taliban
RE: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/201.../#.WJzhrIHyuM8

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Thursday he needs a “few thousand” more troops to better accomplish an integral part of the mission, and he complained that Russian meddling is complicating the counterterrorism fight.

Gen. John Nicholson didn’t provide the Senate Armed Services Committee with an exact number of additional forces, but said they could come from the United States or other countries in the American-led coalition in Afghanistan, where the war is now in its 16th year. He said they are necessary to properly train and advise the Afghan military and perform work now handled at greater cost by contractors.

There are currently about 8,400 U.S. troops conducting counterterrorism operations against insurgents and training the Afghan army.

Nicholson said he had discussed troop levels with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Nicholson said he believes the Trump administration will be open to a level based on requirements, rather than a predetermined figure. Republicans criticized President Barack Obama for trying, in their view, to cut the number too sharply before he left office Jan. 20.

But the idea of sending more Americans to the war zone may not go over well with a public frustrated by the length and cost of the conflict.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., citing figures from the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, said the war is costing U.S. taxpayers $13 million a day.

Nicholson also disclosed that a U.S. special forces soldier was “severely wounded” in fighting Thursday in Sangin, the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan.

He gave an example of how additional forces would be used. Nicholson said that because of troop level limits, the aviation brigade that deployed to Afghanistan was able to bring its helicopters, pilots and staff, but had to leave its mechanics behind at Fort Riley in Kansas. Contractors were hired instead at a cost of “tens of millions of dollars,” forcing the soldier mechanics to sit at home, he said, and affecting the Army unit’s readiness.

Nicholson said there is a 2-1 ratio of contractors to troops in Afghanistan.

In response to a question from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Nicholson said he doesn’t have enough troops to provide proper oversight of all those contractors.

Nicholson contended that Russia has been publicly legitimizing the Taliban by claiming that the militants are fighting Islamic terrorists while the Afghan government is not. He called that a “false narrative” and argued that Moscow’s goal is to undermine the United States and NATO in Afghanistan.

Afghan security forces have reduced by one-half the number of IS fighters and by two-thirds the amount of territory the extremists hold, according to the commander.

He said declined to say in the open hearing whether Russia is providing support for the Taliban and in what way. Afterward, Nicholson told The Associated Press he was referring to classified intelligence. He would not discuss the matter further.

The Russians recently invited representatives from the Taliban, China, Pakistan and other countries in the region to Moscow for meetings about Afghanistan’s future, but did not include officials from the Kabul government, Nicholson said.

“A peace and reconciliation process should be Afghan-led,” the general said.

Despite Moscow’s overtures, Nicholson said many Afghans don’t view Russia favorably, dating to the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.

Several Republican senators on Thursday urged President Donald Trump to pursue a “tough-minded and principled policy toward” Russia. They want Trump to maintain current U.S. sanctions against Russia, rebuke Moscow for its continued aggression in Ukraine, and not enter into any military or diplomatic agreement with Russia on Syria’s future until Moscow ends its “support for the murderous regime” of President Bashar Assad.

Nicholson described the security situation in Afghanistan as a “stalemate.”

“Can we win?” asked Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Yes, Nicholson said. He described victory as a stable, centralized Afghan government and destruction of al-Qaida and IS.

Leaving before then means it’s “just a matter of time” before terrorists launch another attack on the United States from safe havens in Afghanistan, he said.