The Push To Keep U.S. Soldiers In Afghanistan Intensifies

Incoming Commander of Resolute Support forces and United States forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General John Nicholson walks during a change of command ceremony in Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 2, 2016. REUTERS/Rahmat Gul/Pool

Reuters: Retired generals, diplomats urge Obama to keep Afghanistan troop level

Thirteen retired U.S. generals and senior diplomats urged President Barack Obama on Friday to maintain the current U.S. troop level in Afghanistan, saying a reduction would undercut the morale of Afghan government forces and bolster the Taliban.

The 13 men oversaw U.S. military operations and policy in Afghanistan during the administrations of Obama and former President George W. Bush. They included retired Army general and CIA director David Petraeus and four other former top commanders of U.S.-led international forces there, as well as five former American ambassadors to Afghanistan.

In an open letter to Obama in The National Interest magazine, they said maintaining the current level of 9,800 U.S. troops would "likely have helpful effects on refugee flows, the confidence of the Taliban, the morale of the Afghan military and Afghan people, the state of the Afghan economy and perhaps even the strategic assessments of some in Pakistan.

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WNU Editor: Iraq, Afghanistan, the rise of the Islamic State .... in the future the continuation of these  conflicts are not going to reflect well on President Obama's legacy. But short of a complete withdrawal .... there were never any good options for President Obama .... and there will be no good options for the next U.S. President.