Dunford Says 8,000 to 12,000 Troops May Be Needed Through 2017 in Afghanistan

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the number of troops ISAF Commander Gen. Joseph Dunford wanted to remain Afghanistan. He has not yet decided on his request. 

ISAF Commander Gen. Joseph Dunford pushed back against a possible zero-option in Afghanistan, saying he believed he would ask for no more than 8,000 to 12,000 U.S. and NATO troops to support the country’s forces through 2017, but that he has not yet made any determination.

Dunford told the New York Times that an American presence would be critical for many important military support functions in Afghanistan, including training, intelligence and logistics. He said that remaining U.S. troops would not be put “in harm’s way” after 2014, and that all day-to-day fighting – and dying - would be done by Afghans.

NATO and the Obama adminisration have indicated they are considering a combined force between 8,000 and 12,000 troops. “I don’t have reason to believe we’ll ask for more than that,” Dunford told the Times. 

Even then, the willingness of U.S. and Afghan troops to fight extremists may be waning, as Carmen Gentile recently reported for Defense One.  

Dunford also said that al Qaeda, the primary reason for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, was down to 75 men, had become a “shell” of its former self, and was not in a position to plan attacks against the West.

Still, Dunford said “investing in Afghanistan” is “a gamble,” brushing off questions surrounding economic and political stability in the country.

The Times said Dunford requested the interview, clearly aware of the declining support for the war effort back at home.  Only 28 percent of Americans think the war has been worth fighting, according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll released last week. And many question whether it was worth fighting to begin with.

The Pentagon released its biannual “Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan” report, in which it also forecasts U.S. involvement in the country past 2014. 

Read the full story at the New York Times.