Seasoned veteran of Afghan war picked for top command

“What we’ve learned is that you can’t really leave”, said a senior Pentagon official with extensive experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Top U.S. military commanders, who only a few months ago were planning to pull the last American troops out of Afghanistan by year’s end, are now quietly talking about an American commitment that could keep thousands of troops in the country for decades. Among the highlights of his time with the brigade was an extended 16-month deployment to Afghanistan.

He commanded the 82nd Airborne Division, re-establishing Global Response Force capabilities, and commands NATO’s Allied Land Command in his current assignment, the spokesman added. He earlier was the director of the Pentagon’s Afghanistan-Pakistan coordination cell.

In addition, about 300 USA troops in Helmand are advising Afghan commanders at the corps level, well removed from the front lines.

The coming change in command of USA and allied forces in Afghanistan coincides with concern about a Taliban comeback, dysfunction in the Afghan government and shortcomings in U.S.-trained Afghan security forces after 14 years of war. Votel now heads U.S. Special Operations Command.

“While many challenges remain, we have made gains over the past year that will put Afghanistan on a better path, and much of the credit for that progress rests with Gen Campbell”, Carter said.

“He understands the importance and complexity of our mission in Afghanistan”, Cook said, having served previously as chief of staff of operations for the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, and U.S. Forces Afghanistan. The House Armed Services Committee said this week that Campbell will testify on the situation in Afghanistan next Tuesday.

In October, Mr. Obama announced that he had slowed the withdrawal of American troops from the country.

Afghan troops took a record number of casualties in 2015: about 16,000 soldiers and police were killed or wounded over the course of the year, up from 12,500 in 2014. After democratic elections took place in 2004, USA troops remained to continue fighting an active militant base throughout the country. Ghani took office in September 2014 and Campbell has said publicly that the new president’s approach to the war effort and that of his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, were like “night and day”, from the US point of view.

Carter is “absolutely confident” in the man President Barack Obama intends to nominate to succeed Campbell, Cook said.