By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama ’s military surge in Afghanistan will be matched by a commitment to keep a large number of U.S. government employees there well after troops leave, according to a new State Department report. “While our combat mission in Afghanistan is not open-ended, we will remain politically, diplomatically and economically engaged in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the long-term to protect our enduring interests in the region,” according to the report released yesterday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the office of Richard Holbrooke , the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he wants to persuade Taliban insurgents to stop fighting by offering money and jobs through a program funded by the international community. The plan will be discussed when the U.K. hosts a conference Jan. 28 on improving Afghanistan’s economy, institutions and security forces, Karzai told the British Broadcasting Corp. yesterday. The State Department’s 30-page “Afghanistan and Pakistan Stabilization Strategy” says the U.S. will focus on rebuilding Afghanistan’s agricultural capacity, countering extremist propaganda, improving governance and reintegrating militants into society. It comes after Obama in early December announced he would send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan this year, with a target date to start a withdrawal in mid-2011. Civilian Force The report calls for a 20 percent to 30 percent boost in staffing beyond the 1,000 U.S. civilians now assigned to work in Afghan ministries and the U.S. mission. The U.S. civilian force includes diplomats, development and agriculture specialists, and agents for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Treasury and Homeland Security. “Our civilian effort must be sustained beyond our combat mission so that Afghanistan does not become a failed state and safe haven for al-Qaeda,” according to the report. “Our focus is building the capacity of Afghan institutions to withstand and diminish the threat posed by extremism, and to deliver high-impact economic assistance, especially in the agricultural sector – to create jobs, reduce the funding that the Taliban receives from poppy cultivation, and draw insurgents off of the battlefield,” it said. Also yesterday, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he expects more than 60 nations to set clear priorities and make generous pledges at next week’s London conference. Economic Development Miliband, testifying at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, said the priorities include economic development, reconciliation of militants and a gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces. “The definition of success is clear: It is not to kill or capture every member of the Taliban. It is to ensure the government of Afghanistan is able to secure its territory against a weakened insurgency, and deny al-Qaeda the space to operate,” Miliband told the panel. Testifying before the same panel, Holbrooke said he was heartened on his latest trip to Kabul to see the Afghan capital “in a better position than it’s been at any time” since he began his current job a year ago. Obama on Dec. 1 said he would increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to around 100,000 in an effort to beat back a persistent extremist threat. He said a troop withdrawal in mid- 2011 would depend on ground conditions. The administration has said it will need about $30 billion to finance 30,000 additional troops for Afghanistan. To contact the reporter on this story: Indira Lakshmanan in Washington at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net
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U.S. Will Keep Its Civilian Teams in Afghanistan Long After Troops Leave
