WASHINGTON, March 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is likely to drop to about 10,000 in 2006, about half its current size, as NATO shoulders more of the burden.
NATO forces now number about 9,000 in Afghanistan, but by October are expected to increase to about 15,000, with an additional 5,000 to 6,000 American troops rounding out the contingent to 21,000 from 36 nations.
U.S. Central Command will maintain a separate counter-terrorist force in Afghanistan -- heavy on special forces personnel -- who will continue the hunt for high-value targets like Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, Osama bin Laden and other central figures. How many CENTCOM will want for that mission has not been determined.
However, a U.S. official said on background it is likely to be several thousand, bringing the total U.S. commitment to about 10,000 in Afghanistan.
There are now roughly 23,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a number that will drop to about 17,000 in the coming weeks as soldiers are replaced after their year-long deployment.
Supreme Allied Commander-Europe Gen. James Jones would not speculate on the size of the eventual U.S. force but said he is confident that Afghanistan is improving, despite an increase in violence there. Of all the U.S. casualties in Afghanistan since 2001, half occurred in the last year alone.
"My take on the situation in Afghanistan is that the Taliban and al-Qaida are not in a position to where they can restart an insurgency of any size and major scope," Jones said.
He attributed the increase in violence in part to a more aggressive effort by the United States and its allies to go after enemy fighters in places where they have not been engaged previously.
He said some of the violence is attributable to criminals, corruption and the narcotics trade from Afghanistan's vast poppy crop.
"From my standpoint, the way to understand the level of violence in Afghanistan is to not limit it to the rather simple discussion of the Taliban and al Qaida. It's more complex than that. Afghanistan is on the way to recovery, but is also fighting some internal demons," he said.
