A top US official said Tuesday that the Obama administration is ‘nowhere near’ deciding to pull out all US troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
Ambassador James Dobbins, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan quoted by Reuters said, “I have no doubt that the (bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan) ultimately will be concluded.”
While speaking in U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dobbins said that the Obama administration was not on the verge of abandoning its effort to extend its troop presence.
“We’re nowhere near a decision that would involve our departing Afghanistan altogether,” Dobbins said.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai set new conditions for Washington to sign the bilateral security agreement, despite the pact was approved by majority in the consultative Loya Jirga.
In the meantime, Washington has warned that all US troops will be pulled out of the country if the deal to allow US troops beyond 2014 in Afghanistan, is not signed.
Dobbins also warned that even the US embassy in Kabul could be closed, if the security situation were to worsen sharply.
On the other hand, NATO member countries will also withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan, if the bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Washington is not signed, which would likely dampen donor nations’ willingness to fund Afghan security forces and will compromise the international community’s aid to Afghanistan.
“My judgment is no troops, no aid, or almost no aid,” Dobbins said.
