Gates: Mistake to set time line for Afghan withdrawal

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is pushing back against liberal calls for withdrawal time lines from Afghanistan, saying it’s a mistake to set a deadline to end U.S. military action and a defeat would be disastrous for the United States.

In a stern warning to critics of a continued troop presence in Afghanistan, Mr. Gates said the Islamic extremist Taliban and al Qaeda would perceive an early pullout as a victory over the United States as similar to the Soviet Union’s humiliating withdrawal in 1989 after a 10-year war.

“The notion of time lines and exit strategies and so on, frankly, I think would all be a strategic mistake. The reality is, failure in Afghanistan would be a huge setback for the United States,” Mr. Gates said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“Taliban and al Qaeda, as far as they’re concerned, defeated one superpower. For them to be seen to defeat a second, I think, would have catastrophic consequences in terms of energizing the extremist movement, al Qaeda recruitment, operations, fundraising and so on. I think it would be a huge setback for the United States.”

Mr. Gates’ pointed remarks came as President Obama re-examines his administration’s strategy in Afghanistan and as the Pentagon sits on a request for additional troops from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Mr. Obama’s decisions will come after the election in Afghanistan is sorted out.

“This is not like an election in Western Europe or the United States. To carry out an election in these circumstances was going to be difficult under any conditions. It’s not over yet,” Mrs. Clinton told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“We have to wait until it is resolved, hopefully very soon, then make a new commitment on how to meet our strategic goals. And it’s going to be up to the president to determine how best to achieve that.”

Mr. Gates said Mr. Obama has made no decision on whether to send additional troops. He said if Mr. Obama were to choose to increase combat forces, they would not be able to mobilize until January.

The prospect of sending additional soldiers has created a backlash among some Democrats in Congress and has angered anti-war activists on the left who rallied behind Mr. Obama’s presidential candidacy last year.

Sen. Russ Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat, has said the administration should set a “flexible time line” to draw down troops. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, has called for a time line and a time limit for achieving objectives in Afghanistan.

“I do not believe the American people want to be in Afghanistan for the next 10 years, effectively nation-building,” she told “Fox News Sunday.”

Others, such as Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat and Armed Services Committee chairman, have not gone as far but have urged Mr. Obama not to escalate the war.

Mr. Obama sent 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan earlier this year. But in a tough assessment of conditions on the ground, Gen. McChrystal warned that without more troops the United States could lose the war against the Taliban and its allies. Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen also has endorsed more troops, telling Congress this month that Afghan forces aren’t ready to fight the insurgency and protect the population on their own.

Mr. Gates rejected suggestions of a split over troop levels between the Pentagon’s uniformed leadership on one side and Mr. Gates and Mr. Obama on the other.

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