Comment by the Information and Press Department on the US decision to suspend troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
On October 15, US President Barack Obama announced a decision to suspend troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Last year, Mr Obama promised to pull all troops out of that country by the end of 2016 with the exception of a small contingent for the protection of the US embassy in Kabul.
According to the new plan, the number of US troops will remain the same –9,800 – throughout 2016 and will be reduced to 5,500 only by January 2017.
This forced step is more telltale evidence of the utter failure of the 14-year-long military campaign carried out by the United States and its allies in Afghanistan. As we’ve noted more than once, the United States failed to eradicate terrorism and the drug threat, train combat-effective national armed forces, and ensure security and stability in Afghanistan during this long time.
On our part, we are ready to help the friendly Afghan people in building a peaceful, stable democratic state free of terrorists of all stripes.
October 16, 2015