President of Afghanistan said in a television interview scheduled to air Sunday night that the U.S. should "re-examine" its troop withdrawal deadline.
"Deadlines concentrate the mind. But deadlines should not be dogmas," President Ashraf Ghani told Lara Logan of 60 Minutes. "If both parties, or, in this case, multiple partners, have done their best to achieve the objectives and progress is very real, then there should be willingness to re-examine a deadline."
When Logan asked if President Obama knew this, Ghani replied, "President Obama knows me. We don't need to tell each other."
The statement comes a week after NATO announced a formal end to its combat operations in Afghanistan after 13 years of war that cost the lives of 2,356 U.S. and 1,129 coalition military personnel, as well as approximately $1 trillion.
The Taliban declared victory after NATO's announcement. "We consider this step a clear indication of their defeat and disappointment," the group said.
A slew of Taliban attacks induced chaos in Kabul and other areas in recent months, signalling anticipation of the NATO withdrawal.
At the height of the war over 140,000 coalition troops were stationed in the country. Now about 10,000 remain in Afghanistan for training and support purposes -- a number scheduled to be cut in half during 2015. President Barack Obama announced last year that all U.S. service personnel would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2016.
Despite 2014 being the deadliest year for Afghan security forces, with over 5,000 being killed at the hands of the Taliban, Gen. John Campbell, commander of remaining forces in Afghanistan, expressed confidence in the Afghan military.
"It's the number one respected institution in Afghanistan," Campbell told CBS. "Couple years ago, I probably wouldn't have said that but today it is." (UPI)
"Deadlines concentrate the mind. But deadlines should not be dogmas," President Ashraf Ghani told Lara Logan of 60 Minutes. "If both parties, or, in this case, multiple partners, have done their best to achieve the objectives and progress is very real, then there should be willingness to re-examine a deadline."
When Logan asked if President Obama knew this, Ghani replied, "President Obama knows me. We don't need to tell each other."
The statement comes a week after NATO announced a formal end to its combat operations in Afghanistan after 13 years of war that cost the lives of 2,356 U.S. and 1,129 coalition military personnel, as well as approximately $1 trillion.
The Taliban declared victory after NATO's announcement. "We consider this step a clear indication of their defeat and disappointment," the group said.
A slew of Taliban attacks induced chaos in Kabul and other areas in recent months, signalling anticipation of the NATO withdrawal.
At the height of the war over 140,000 coalition troops were stationed in the country. Now about 10,000 remain in Afghanistan for training and support purposes -- a number scheduled to be cut in half during 2015. President Barack Obama announced last year that all U.S. service personnel would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2016.
Despite 2014 being the deadliest year for Afghan security forces, with over 5,000 being killed at the hands of the Taliban, Gen. John Campbell, commander of remaining forces in Afghanistan, expressed confidence in the Afghan military.
"It's the number one respected institution in Afghanistan," Campbell told CBS. "Couple years ago, I probably wouldn't have said that but today it is." (UPI)
