US Senate also green-lights Afghan War Commission

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US Senate has overwhelmingly green-lighted the creation of an independent commission to assess Afghan war failures.

Part of the defence bill, which was approved on Friday, the commission will also probe options for combating terrorism in the region.

A leading Pakistani newspaper reported on Saturday the 16-member Afghanistan War Commission would produce a report within three years.

Dawn said a previous version of the bill suggested investigating Pakistan’s role in the Afghan war. That provision, however, has now been dropped.

The bipartisan panel, however, can examine how regional countries, including Pakistan, influenced the Afghan war.

The commission will examine the 20-year conflict and prepare detailed reports on America’s ability to combat terrorism in the region.

Additionally, the report said, the commission would also do the “accountability” of the military equipment the US military had left in Afghanistan.

Although Democrats control the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans supporting the measure outnumbered them in both chambers.

PAN Monitor/mud