New Timetable Needed

The editorial board of WaPo has come out in favor of a revised timetable for U.S. troops departing Afghanistan. According to the WP the fighting in Afghanistan is intensifying, Kabul is increasingly being attacked, and international aid groups are pulling out their staff. The Afghan government (mired in the internal politics of the Ghani-Abdullah partnership) have yet to appoint a cabinet. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) suffered more than 5,000 fatalities this year - more than the total number of U.S. and allied deaths since 2001. The ANSF has a high desertion rate and quick turnover of personnel in the force. The WP sees the need to keep the progress already attained in place by extending the stay of U.S. troops. Read more in "A deteriorating Afghanistan needs a revised timetable on U.S. troops", The Washington Post, December 10, 2014.