In his first visit to Washington as the elected head of Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani has made a persuasive case for slowing the withdrawal of residual American troops even as the Obama administration announced moves to fund Afghan forces for the next two years.
Ahead of the Oval Office meeting with President Barack Obama on Tuesday, Ghani and his delegation, including Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, held extensive consultations with Obama’s top Cabinet colleagues at Camp David in Maryland on troops withdrawal and a host of bilateral issues.
There are about 10,000 US troops currently in Afghanistan, and Obama’s plan has been to trim the number to 5,500 in the coming months and thereafter steadily withdraw the remaining troops, save for about 1,000, by the time he leaves office in January 2017.
“President Ghani has requested some flexibility in that process,” Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters at the end of the Camp David session, adding that President Obama is “actively considering that request”. The subject would really be the focus of the discussions between the two Presidents, he indicated.
Ghani said it was up to President Obama to take the final decision on this matter. “What we have emphasised and agreed is that we are strategic partners; we are bound by common interests and will act together to ensure both the safety of United States and the safety of Afghanistan,” Ghani said who along with Abdullah held discussions with Kerry and Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.
After the Camp David meeting, Kerry announced the launch of a new $800 million development partnership with Afghanistan and the re-launch of the Bilateral Commission and the Security Consultative Forum.
Carter said the Pentagon would seek funding for Afghan forces to sustain up to a strength of 3,52,000 personnel through 2017 as part of the commitment to a strong and enduring partnership with Afghanistan.