Is Now The Time To Leave Afghanistan?

Soldiers hot load a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on Forward Operating Base Fenty, Afghanistan, Nov. 12, 2013. The aircrew, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, conducted a mission to move personnel and cargo over eastern Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Peter Smedberg

Have U.S. Troops Overstayed Their Welcome in Afghanistan? -- Stephanie Gaskell, Defense One

Back in 2005, when the world was barely paying attention to the war in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai complained that U.S. and NATO troops were knocking on doors and entering the homes of Afghans as they pleased. “No coalition forces should go to Afghan homes without the authorization of the Afghan government,” he said. Years later, Karzai railed against night-time raids, which the U.S. military uses to surprise -- and capture -- high-value terror targets.

Now, as U.S. and NATO forces negotiate a so-called bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan to keep a smaller force in the country after combat operations officially end next year, Karzai’s hospitality again seems to be waning. The main sticking point is whether coalition forces will be able to search Afghan homes, and once again Karzai is wary of allowing foreign troops to disrupt the lives of his people. He has refused the NATO request, Reuters reports, and threatens to derail the negotiations entirely.

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My Comment: This is an Afghan fight .... it is best that we stay out of it. But if the decision is made that the U.S. and international community must still be involved in Afghan affairs and national security .... my suggestion is that it is a minimal force that will be based far away from major population centers.