WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is weighing a proposal for a larger, temporary US force to remain in Afghanistan after most Nato combat troops withdraw in 2014, a spokesman said on Monday.
Officials had previously suggested President Barack Obama’s administration was considering a smaller force of up to 8,000-12,000 troops to stay in Afghanistan after the bulk of a Nato-led contingent departs as planned at the end of 2014.
But the former US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, retired general John Allen, and a former top Pentagon official, Michele Flournoy, floated the idea last week of a “bridging force” that would expand the post-2014 presence by several thousand troops for up to three years.
The additional troops would be able to provide air power, medical evacuations and other support to the Afghan forces, which will still lack some capabilities when Nato forces depart in 2014, according to Allen and Flournoy, who outlined the idea in a report released Friday.
The Pentagon confirmed for the first time Monday that the option was being considered.
“I think that they’re looking at all different types of ideas and possible ways ahead,” spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters when asked about the proposal.
“It’s certainly an idea that’s being discussed in many different settings and forums,” he said.
It was unclear if Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel brought up the idea at a Nato meeting of defence ministers in Brussels yesterday, he added.
AFP
