The former top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that the resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq should be considered a “warning” if the United States pulls all troops out of Afghanistan later this year.
While speaking during an interview on “CBS This Morning,” McChrystal said, “I think it should be a warning. No two situations are exactly the same, but I think we should take a clear lesson from what has happened in Iraq.”
McChrystal retired in 2010 after he criticized Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine.
He has led the Pentagon’s operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan before he retired in 2010.
“I think there’s every possibility that that would occur. I don’t think the Taliban are strong enough to sweep in and take over a unified Afghanistan. I think it’s more likely that it would break into areas of conflict,” Mcchrystral said.
He also added, “I am biased about Afghanistan and I admit that up front. I think what Afghanistan needs is a demonstration of commitment and partnership and friendship. That doesn’t mean many, many thousands of troops, but I think it means some presence that reassures them that unlike 1989 when we walked away, we would not do that.”
The remark by McChrystal comes as US officials have been mulling pulling all troops out of Afghanistan if the bilateral security agreement between the two nations is not signed.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai has so far refused to sign the bilateral security agreement between the two nations, which outlines how many U.S. residual forces would remain there after 2014.
The NATO allied nations will also completely withdraw from Afghanistan if the bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Washington was not signed.
While speaking during an interview on “CBS This Morning,” McChrystal said, “I think it should be a warning. No two situations are exactly the same, but I think we should take a clear lesson from what has happened in Iraq.”
McChrystal retired in 2010 after he criticized Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine.
He has led the Pentagon’s operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan before he retired in 2010.
“I think there’s every possibility that that would occur. I don’t think the Taliban are strong enough to sweep in and take over a unified Afghanistan. I think it’s more likely that it would break into areas of conflict,” Mcchrystral said.
He also added, “I am biased about Afghanistan and I admit that up front. I think what Afghanistan needs is a demonstration of commitment and partnership and friendship. That doesn’t mean many, many thousands of troops, but I think it means some presence that reassures them that unlike 1989 when we walked away, we would not do that.”
The remark by McChrystal comes as US officials have been mulling pulling all troops out of Afghanistan if the bilateral security agreement between the two nations is not signed.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai has so far refused to sign the bilateral security agreement between the two nations, which outlines how many U.S. residual forces would remain there after 2014.
The NATO allied nations will also completely withdraw from Afghanistan if the bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Washington was not signed.
Source : Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service
