US planning possible withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan
| CNN | - |
Washington
(CNN) -- We're not bluffing, the Obama administration told Afghanistan
on Tuesday in announcing for the first time it has started planning for
the possible withdrawal of all U.S.
No bluff: U.S. planning possible withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan
updated 8:57 PM EST, Tue February 25, 2014
Is WH 'zero option' really an option?
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- President Obama calls Afghan leader to discuss security agreement
- Obama orders planning for bringing home all U.S. troops at the end of 2014
- Afghan President Karzai refuses to sign a deal to keep some troops there
- The White House says an agreement could happen after Karzai leaves office in April
Statements by the White
House and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel showed President Barack Obama's
impatience with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's refusal to sign the
agreement that would keep several thousand American troops in the
country after combat operations conclude this year.
In a phone call with
Karzai on Tuesday to discuss upcoming elections for a new Afghan leader,
Obama made clear that time was running out to properly plan for keeping
any U.S. forces in the country beyond 2014, the White House said.
Meanwhile, a senior
Pakistani official warned that pulling out U.S. troops could have dire
consequences, leading to a civil war in Afghanistan.
Obama calling
"President Obama has
asked the Pentagon to ensure that it has adequate plans in place to
accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the
United States not keep any troops in Afghanistan after 2014," said the
White House statement.
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It also noted that a deal
remained possible with a new Afghan leader, even if Karzai fails to
sign the Bilateral Security Agreement before the April election chooses
his successor.
"Should we have a BSA and
a willing and committed partner in the Afghan government, a limited
post-2014 mission focused on training, advising, and assisting Afghan
forces and going after the remnants of core al Qaeda could be in the
interests of the United States and Afghanistan," the White House said.
"Therefore, we will leave open the possibility of concluding a BSA with
Afghanistan later this year."
In his separate
statement, Hagel said he strongly supported the order by Obama to
"ensure adequate plans are in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal
by the end of the year should the United States not keep any troops in
Afghanistan after 2014."
Speaking at Joint Base
Langley-Eustis in Virginia Tuesday afternoon, Hagel said the situation
in Afghanistan will likely be a top item on the agenda at a NATO
ministerial conference in Brussels this week.
Obama, he said, has been
very clear that the possibility of U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan
depends "on whether we have a bilateral security agreement signed by the
Afghani government, to assure our rights of our troops and other
important elements that are required any time America has troops in
another country."
Pakistani official: Don't do it
A senior Pakistani
government official told CNN that a full withdrawal of U.S. troops
should not be considered, declaring that "the zero option means civil
war in Afghanistan."
Speaking on condition of
not being identified, the Pakistani official predicted that 30% of
Afghan forces would desert if U.S. forces leave the country.
For the Pentagon, Obama's order means preparing for all contingencies.
"For the first time, the
commander in chief has told us to begin planning for a complete
withdrawal" from Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official told CNN.
While the option to keep
troops there remains, the situation has reached a point where the
Pentagon has to begin planning for all possibilities, the official
added.
More than 33,000 U.S.
troops remain in Afghanistan as the Obama administration winds down the
almost 13-year war that began shortly after the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks.
The security agreement
negotiated between Afghanistan and the United States would cover a
continuing mission after 2014 focused on training Afghan forces and
counterterrorism.
Afghan presidential contender says he'll sign if elected
While Karzai has balked
at signing, a leading contender to succeed him told CNN's Christiane
Amanpour this month that the agreement should proceed.
Presidential candidate
Abdullah Abdullah said he would sign the deal to keep international
forces in Afghanistan, and aid dollars flowing, if elected in April.
Abdullah said Afghanistan will need the financial and military support of the international community "for years to come."
White House spokesman
Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday that that longer it takes for security
agreement to get signed, the more difficult it will be to properly plan
and carry out a U.S. mission after 2014.
Continued delay would
result in a smaller and less ambitious mission, Carney said. Asked what
happens if no agreement gets signed, he said: "We cannot and will not
have U.S. troops on the ground" without a signed deal.
CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.
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