Gen. Campbell to relinquish command in Afghanistan

But one day later, Lt. Gen. John Nicholson, President Obama’s nominee to be the next commander in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “I view it incumbent upon me…to estimate for our political leadership the necessary (troop) capability” to accomplish US goals in Afghanistan.

The U.S. general nominated to take over as the new top commander of the U.S. war in Afghanistan said on Thursday that security there has deteriorated, and promised a detailed assessment of how many American troops will be needed within 90 days of taking the job.

Gen. Nicholson appeared poised to win confirmation and could be headed to…

As wartime commanders must often do, Nicholson walked a fine line during his confirmation hearing. The United States has had forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

Nicholson would succeed Gen. John F. Campbell, who is expected to retire.

There are now about 9,800 service members in Afghanistan, with most focused on advising Afghan police and military units and some hunting down members of al-Qaeda and-more recently-the Islamic State militant group. At Campbell s urging, Obama decided last October to abandon his plan to reduce troop levels to near zero by the end of 2016. His advisers could press Obama to maintain the current level of 9,800 troops until he leaves office in January 2017.

“He knows what it means to lead a responsive and nimble force, and how to build the capacity of our partners to respond to immediate and long-term threats and remain adaptable to confront evolving challenges”, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in a statement.

The report also notes that following the departure of most foreign forces in Afghanistan two years ago, the Taliban have significantly increased their influence in the country by seizing a number of districts and inflicting sizable losses on government forces.

During an exchange with Sen.

Nicholson said the Afghans still retained lead fighting responsibility against the Taliban but pledged not to allow associated forces to overrun the southern city of Kandahar.

Nicholson said he has seen significant progress in recent years, as USA troops have shifted from a wartime stance to a dual mission of training local allies and conducting counterterrorism operations. “And he understands the importance and complexity of our mission in Afghanistan”. There are concerns, too, that the Taliban have hopes of retaking their spiritual home in Kandahar.

The committee chairman, Sen.

“There is no officer who has as much experience (in Afghanistan) in the USA military than he does”, Kirk said, adding Nicholson received Kirk’s “highest recommendation”.

“It’s time to immediately halt USA troop withdrawals and eliminate any target date for withdrawal”, McCain said.

Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte also expressed alarm at the way the administration has telegraphed troop levels in Afghanistan to USA enemies.

“As the security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, it makes no strategic or military sense to continue the withdrawal of American forces”, he said. “There will always be some level of violence in Afghanistan”.