Troop Levels in Afghanistan To Remain Steady Through February
21 September 2006
Success in Afghanistan will require bringing drug trade under control
Washington – The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan says he expects troop levels there to remain steady until February 2007.
Afghanistan remains “the target of international terrorists, militant extremists, drug traffickers, and a determined criminal element,” Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry said September 21.
Eikenberry, commander of the Combined Forces in Afghanistan, told reporters during a brief visit to the Pentagon that the enemy’s influence no longer is especially strong across the country, although there are areas of increased violence, particularly in the south and southeastern parts of the nation where the Afghan government has less control.
Mostly, he said, the forces of the coalition, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Afghan government prevail whenever they encounter the enemy on the battlefield. “The challenge we face is not one of a military nature,” Eikenberry said.
Instead, the officer said, the real challenge in Afghanistan is to strengthen and extend the authority of the Afghan government, develop the economy and help build a civil society. (See related article.)
Recent and ongoing combat missions, such as operations Medusa, Mountain Fury, and Mountain Thrust, are part of a broader, longer-term goal in Afghanistan that Eikenberry described as strengthening good governance as well as “establishing the rule of law and facilitating reconstruction and economic development.” (See related article.)
Concrete improvements in the lives of people can be as influential as any combat operation, he said. “This emphasis on government and development is the centerpiece” of the coalition’s and NATO’s overall approach in Afghanistan, Eikenberry said.
This means fostering interaction between provincial reconstruction teams and local leaders, extending medical assistance to those without access to health care and building schools and roads. “In a campaign such as this, the construction of roads and schools can be just as decisive, if not more, than military action,” he said.
Eikenberry called on the international community to do more to support the nonmilitary side of assisting Afghanistan.
Following the July transfer of Regional Command South from the coalition to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, Eikenberry said, plans are under way to ensure a seamless transfer of Regional Command East to ISAF in late 2007. He emphasized the ongoing commitment of the United States to Afghanistan, even as this transition is under way.
The U.S. military will continue to train and equip Afghan national security forces, Eikenberry said. Currently, 76,000 Afghan army and police are trained, equipped and conducting security operations.
SUCCESS IN AFGHANISTAN MEANS DEALING WITH NARCO-TRAFFICKING
Success in the country cannot be attained, Eikenberry said, “without eventually bringing the narco-trafficking problem that Afghanistan faces under control." He said, however, that the military’s role is limited to providing specialized support such as intelligence or medical evacuation to local law enforcement.
What is needed, Eikenberry said, is to eradicate poppy crops, offer alternatives for poppy farmers and establish a solid judicial system.
The elimination of narco-trafficking is crucial because it poses a danger to government officials who can be corrupted by the large sums of money associated with it, and because there is a risk of that money being channeled into support for terrorism. (See related article.)
While offering Thailand as an example of a country that has overcome its narco-trafficking problems successfully, Eikenberry said it took two decades of sustained commitment by the Thais and the international community to bring the problem under control.
For more information, see Rebuilding Afghanistan.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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