WASHINGTON-
The Afghan army official fighting to contain the Taliban insurgency have called on the country’s President, Hamid Karzai, to sign a security agreement that would allow presence of a small number of American troops in Afghanistan beyond the end of this year, The Washington Post has reported.
The military has openly called on Karzai to sign the deal in the Afghan media, despite official orders to keep quiet on the issue.
The Post quoted an Afghan General as saying that his call for the agreement signing in an interview with a Kabul television station last month led him to a forced leave by the country’s Defense Ministry which is expected to formally fire him soon.
“If the international community leaves, there is no question that we will lose ground to the Taliban.” Col. Mohammad Dost told The Post. “It’s the biggest worry for every soldier now.”
“If the Americans leave, Afghanistan will be a lone sheep, left in the desert for the wolves to eat,” Capt. Abdul Zahir told the paper.
The security agreement was reached between Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry this past November and was endorsed by the local jirga, council of prominent Afghans, days later.
However, Karzai has refused to sign the deal himself, appearing content to leave the matter to his successor after presidential elections due on April 5 .
The agreement not only governs the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan past 2014, but also ensures a steady supply of funding for the Afghan security forces.
The Post also quoted Afghan soldiers saying they would not be paid their salaries without U.S. support.
Even if Congress assigns appropriate funding for Afghan forces in the event the agreement goes unsigned, oversight of its distribution would be impossible without U.S. troops on the ground.
The U.S. has reportedly spent $50 billion on various aspects of the 352,000-man Afghan security forces.
Without the ongoing presence of the estimated 12,000 U.S. and NATO troops called for by the agreement’s implementation, Afghan soldiers say that they would lose military resources as artillery training, logistical assistance, and aerial support from U.S. jets and helicopters.
