US Troops in Afghanistan post-2014

     Los Angeles Times today reported that the US is expected to keep around 6,000 to 9,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014 much lesser than expected.Mr.Obama is facing increasing pressure in his home to bring back the troops from war torn Afghanistan.Hundred's  of US soldiers have died since the war began years ago.Most of the death is due to IEDs(Improvised Explosive Devices) buried inside the ground.The US has said that the remaining troops will be used in counter terror operations  against Al-Qaeda targets & to secure US diplomatic assets in Afghanistan.Iran has expressed concern against continued US military presence in Afghanistan.Iran has already captured  a top high tech US spy plane RQ-170 Sentinel(The same  plane used for collecting intelligence on Osama Bin Laden's compound) near Afghan border through sophisticated electronic attack.
     Many fear that Taliban may take over Afghanistan as the US troops leave the country.The US has been unable to control Taliban after years of investment of money,resources & man power in Afghanistan.US military is likely to use it's best toy in post 2014, the drones in it's fight against militants.Taliban has succeeded in striking fortified military bases,government buildings,embassies & UN missions.One strike on Camp Bastion in September resulted in the loss of six AV-8B Harrier jets & damaged other two(Each harrier jet costs about $30 to $40 million US dollars).Many European counterparts are not willing to donate more money & military assets to Afghanistan because many governments are under pressure to cut military spending because of lower economic growth.
      Other major problem the US faces is the cultivation of drugs in Afghanistan & pulling out heavy machinery and troops from the land locked Afghanistan in 2014.One author noted that during the Iraq war it was easy for US to pull out the troops,they moved all their machinery to Kuwait by road & then shipped them to US.But in Afghanistan the troops can be pulled out either through Iran or Pakistan.US & Iran are at logger heads due to Iran's disputed nuclear program.Only economical way is to transport the equipment & troops to Karachi,Pakistan by road & then ship them to US.The US-Pakistan relations are not so good these days due to continued support for Al-Qaeda & Taliban by some elements inside Pakistan.Transporting troops by air or through northern network may prove costly & high weight equipments like land-mine protected vehicles  cannot be carried by air.For more information like these subscribe to my blog for email updates.
 
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