- Pentagon report says Afghan govt developing a roadmap for breaking a battlefield stalemate
After nearly 16 years of war against the Taliban, the Afghan government is starting to develop a roadmap for breaking a battlefield stalemate that has been prolonged by the insurgents’ ability to use ‘neighbouring’ country as a sanctuary, according to a Pentagon report.
In a report to the Congress, the Pentagon said that Kabul’s plan was in the early stages of development. It would restructure and realign the Afghan force to set conditions for offensive operations, including large-scale offensive operations in 2019, the report said.
The new approach has four key elements increase the Afghan military’s fighting capabilities; improve its development of leaders; generate a more unified command effort; and counter official corruption. It also would double the size of the Afghan special security forces, without changing the size of the overall security structure, the report said.
With renewed interest in planning for the future, Afghanistan has demonstrated its intent to face a myriad of challenges, furthering its commitment to be a viable security partner to the United States, the report said.
The report makes no mention of a new US strategy for the Afghan war, which US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis says should be ready for public release in July. Earlier this month, the US administration said that President Donald Trump had given Mattis the authority to set American troop levels in Afghanistan.
Mattis is expected to announce, in connection with the new US strategy, that he is adding nearly 4,000 more American troops, although his office said he had not yet made a decision. The US now has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, down from a peak of 100,000 in 2010-11.
The Pentagon report, which provides a detailed assessment of conditions in Afghanistan and is required by Congress every six months, claimed that Pakistan continues to provide ‘sanctuary’ for elements of the Taliban insurgency, including the Haqqani network.
The report also said that Afghanistan faces a continuing threat from as many as 20 insurgent and terrorist networks present or operating in the region, including the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, the Islamic State and al-Qaeda – in what is the highest concentration of extremist and terrorist groups in the world.
Quoting the Pentagon report, Indian media outlets reported that India was providing ‘significant’ training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel. Approximately 130 Afghans travel to India each year to attend various military academy and commissioning programs, it said.
“India is Afghanistan’s ‘most reliable’ regional partner and the largest contributor of ‘development’ assistance in the region, including civil development projects such as the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam and the Afghan parliament building,” the report quoted as saying.
According to the report which covers the period of December 2016 to May 2017, India has donated limited security assistance, most notably four Mi-35 aircraft.