McCain warns against US troop cuts in Afghanistan
US Republican Senator John McCain has warned against reducing the current level of American troops in Afghanistan, saying that more cuts will lead to another “nightmare.”
McCain, who is on a rare Middle East tour, made the remarks after visiting NATO troops in the Afghan capital city of Kabul on Monday.
“We believe strongly that we need 9,800 here and further reductions would then cause a replay of the Iraq nightmare that was caused when we totally withdrew from Iraq, which created al-Qaida, which then created ISIS,” McCain said, using another name for the Daesh terrorist group.
US President Barack Obama is reportedly reviewing his last year decision to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through 2016 and slash them to 5,500 in 2017.
McCain said Obama should decide on troop levels “sooner rather than later.”
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee also blasted the Obama administration for restricting rules of engagement for American troops in Afghanistan, saying the move was “almost criminal.”
Accompanying McCain in the trip was Senator Lindsey Graham who echoed McCain’s stance, saying fewer troops guaranteed defeat.
“If we go to 5,500 this place will fall apart, quickly,” he said.
In Mid-June, Obama ordered the military to take on the Taliban more directly and enable Afghan forces battling the militant group.
According to US officials, Washington would also maintain a large counterterrorism capability of terror drones and Special Operations forces to fight militants in Afghanistan.
The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban regime from power, but after about one and a half decade, the foreign troops have still not been able to establish security in the country.
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