Afghanistan remains a difficult fight, forces still need assistance: Carter

Obama has decided on keeping 9,800 US troops on the ground in Afghanistan till 2016 and 5,500 after that

In the backdrop of advances made by the Taliban in parts of the country, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said that Afghanistan remains a "difficult fight" and that its forces still need assistance.

And, this is the reason why President Barack Obama decided on keeping 9,800 US troops on the ground in Afghanistan till 2016 and 5,500 after that, Carter told Pentagon reporters yesterday.

"Afghan forces have proven themselves to be capable and resilient fighters...But, the Taliban advances in parts of the country underscore the reality that this is and remains a difficult fight. We understand that Afghanistan still needs assistance," Carter said.

Through NATO's Resolute Support mission, the US is working closely with the Afghan national defence and security forces and Afghan security ministries to ensure that they are prepared for their critical mission of protecting the Afghan people and setting the conditions for stability in this vital region, he said.

This extends beyond US military presence and includes important financial contributions it will need to make in support of the Afghan security forces in the years to come.

The US military's presence and financial sustainment will enable the Afghan security forces to continue their development as an agile and sustainable set of forces, capable of meeting Afghan security challenges and partnering with the US against terrorist exploitation of the region, the Defense Secretary said.

The new announcement by Obama, he claimed, sends a strong message to the international community that the US is committed to Afghanistan and intent on fostering stability over the long-term.

"We anticipate that the US commitment will, in turn, garner the commitment of other members of the coalition the US forces have operated with," he said.

Responding to questions about criticism by many that 5,500 troops in Afghanistan is not enough, Carter said this figure was arrived at after a lot of deliberations.

"We do look at it as enough. We did a lot of homework on this, and it's the reason for that number of -- that troop level but also the locations that is important," he said.

"I want to just make sure we all keep track of the funding also, which is vitally important. Those are the ingredients of continuing to prosecute the mission in a way that can be successful," he added.

Carter said the as of now the Pentagon has planned for 5,500 troops in Afghanistan for the year 2017.

"In the future these will be decisions that probably a future president will take in that timeframe. I presume we will make judgements the way that President Obama has, namely to take into account circumstances as they pertain at the time and make whatever adjustments seem necessary at that time," he said.