Author Topic: The Troop Withdrawal Won’t Be the End of the U.S. Military Presence in Afghanistan. History Suggests  (Read 165 times)

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The Troop Withdrawal Won’t Be the End of the U.S. Military Presence in Afghanistan. History Suggests There's a Better Way Forward

Priya Satia
Tue, April 27, 2021, 3:26 PM·8 min read
 

U.S. Army soldiers return home from a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan on December 10, 2020 at Fort Drum, New York. The troops were replaced in Afghanistan by a smaller force, as the U.S. military continues to reduce troop levels Afghanistan. Credit - John Moore—Getty Images

When President Biden boldly defied his military advisors and announced on April 14 that the American military presence in Afghanistan will end on Sept. 11, 2021, many Americans took the decision as welcome news of the conclusion of America’s seemingly endless war in the country.

But the devil, as always, was in the details: within days, we learned that though troops will leave, the Pentagon, American spy agencies and American allies will maintain a “less visible” presence in the country. The departure will not include the thousand troops maintained in the country “off the books,” as Pentagon sources told the New York Times, including elite Army Rangers working for both the Pentagon and the CIA. More troops will remain positioned in neighboring countries, and attack planes will be within rapid reach, forewarned of “insurgent fighters” by armed surveillance drones. Civilian contractors may also play a role on the ground.

https://news.yahoo.com/troop-withdrawal-won-t-end-192616825.html