US begins withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

US President Barack Obama intends to begin a gradual withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in July. By the end of 2012, 30 thousand military personnel from the current 97 thousand will return to their homeland. Experts explain Mr. Obama’s decision with election considerations.

Barack Obama chose evening prime time to address the nation. On Wednesday at 20:00 Washington time, he told his fellow citizens about his decision to begin the gradual withdrawal of the American military contingent involved in Afghanistan. Already in July, the United States plans to withdraw 5 thousand troops from Afghanistan. Another 5 thousand will return to their homeland in the winter and spring of 2012. In total, by the end of 2012, 30 thousand American troops out of 97 thousand currently stationed there will leave Afghanistan. American media sources did not talk about plans for the rest of the military.

A number of American military experts fear that such a rapid reduction of the American force, which forms the backbone of the international coalition in Afghanistan, could negatively affect the security situation in this country. However, President Obama does not share these concerns. According to the American leader, the military successes of the last year that Western allies have achieved on the front of the fight against the Taliban, and most importantly, the successful operation to eliminate the leader of the al-Qaeda group Osama bin Laden, show that Washington can afford to reduce the group.

As if to confirm these conclusions, the transfer of five provincial centers to the control of the Afghan authorities and security forces has already begun. And by the end of 2014, the United States and its allies plan to completely stop military operations in Afghanistan and give the Afghans complete independence.

At the same time, the United States does not seem to intend to rely on the current Afghan leader Hamid Karzai. As Pentagon chief Robert Gates admitted earlier this week, Washington is negotiating a ceasefire with representatives of the Afghan Taliban movement, and the Karzai government is not allowed to participate in them. According to experts, this, as well as the ongoing activity of the Taliban after the death of Osama bin Laden, suggests that the situation in Afghanistan is not developing as favorably as the US administration is trying to imagine.

However, independent observers are convinced that when making the decision to reduce troops in Afghanistan, Barack Obama was guided solely by domestic political considerations. Public opinion polls show that more than 80% of Americans are in favor of a speedy withdrawal from Afghanistan, since after the destruction of Osama bin Laden, the main goal of the operation has been achieved. Moreover, over ten years, more than 1.6 thousand American military personnel have already died there, and monthly expenses for the operation amount to about $10 billion. The President, apparently, has sensitively listened to the opinions of voters - it is no coincidence that the peak of the withdrawal will be in 2012, when Barack Obama intends to run for a second term.

Alexander Reutov

The contingent will become limited