'Lasting' success: New defense chief lands in Afghanistan with a mission

New Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday on his first trip since taking over the job this week, saying he wanted to talk to Afghan and American officials to ensure a “lasting” success as U.S. troops withdraw. Carter, who was sworn in on Tuesday, has suggested he would be open to slowing U.S. withdrawal plans, if necessary. But he did not signal whether he was leaning in that direction in comments to reporters shortly before landing in Kabul. Carter, an experienced Pentagon hand, revealed little about his thinking on current trends and future prospects for Afghanistan, saying he was using his trip to gather information that will help him to advise President Barack Obama. Consulting is his way of “getting my own thinking together,” he said.

We’re looking for success in Afghanistan that is lasting, and the lasting accomplishment of our mission here.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter

Afghanistan’s security forces have reportedly improved, but the country is still struggling with a resilient insurgency 13 years after U.S. troops invaded and toppled the Taliban regime. Many Afghans worry that Obama is risking an Iraq-like relapse in security by cutting American troop totals in half this year, from the current 10,000, and ending the military mission entirely at the end of 2016. He also said he would not telegraph the precise timing of an upcoming Iraqi offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants, after a U.S. military briefing caused an uproar.

Politics afghanistan