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New Pentagon chief visits Afghanistan

 
Published Feb. 21, 2015

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made his international debut today with a visit to Afghanistan to see American troops and commanders, meet with Afghan leaders and assess whether U.S. withdrawal plans are too risky to Afghan security.

"We're looking for success in Afghanistan that is lasting," Carter told reporters traveling with him on his first trip since being sworn in as Pentagon chief on Tuesday.

Carter said he was using his trip to gather information that will enable him to formulate advice for President Barack Obama. Consulting is his way of "getting my own thinking together," he said.

Afghanistan's security forces have improved greatly, 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.