WASHINGTON (Pajhwok): A top American general has refuted reports about increasing the number of US troops in Afghanistan by 4,000.
“No decision has been made with regard to deployment of additional forces in Afghanistan.,” General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a luncheon at the National Press Club.
He said one decision that had been made by the president was to delegate that decision to Secretary Mattis in terms of forces that would be on the ground.
“But (Defense) Secretary (James) Mattis' decision about additional forces in Afghanistan will be made in the context of a broader strategy review for South Asia that is ongoing and is expected to report back probably in some time in the middle of July,” he said.
“So when Secretary Mattis makes a decision about force levels, you can expect that he'll communicate that in a broader context; again, specifically the context of that strategy review.”
“So, it won't be just about Afghanistan. There are a number of interdependent variables that bear on the problem inside of Afghanistan across the region. And we'll be prepared to talk about those as well when we talk about force management levels,” Dunford said.
The top American general was responding to a question on reports that Mattis had recommended an increase of 4,000 troops in Afghanistan.
“The reason why this number 4,000 has been raised is there is a request by the commander to thicken the advise-assist effort in Afghanistan.”
“In other words, he's identified areas where he believes additional forces could make the adviser effort in Afghanistan more effective,” Dunford explained.
He said there was also an outstanding requirement from NATO. “We're short about 3,000 from the stated NATO requirement for forces in Afghanistan. That's where the numbers come from, but again, what I'd emphasize is that, any decision on numbers is going to be done in that broader context,” Dunford said.
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