With just more than a week until the withdrawal is slated to begin, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, which includes the Middle East and Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that military planners are looking at ways to continue operations in the country following the withdrawal and in the short term bring in “additional resources” to support a safe draw down of troops.
He said the US wants to be able to conduct counter-terrorism missions, at least from the air through the use of manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as carry out surveillance and reconnaissance. But there is no significant American military presence in the countries that surround Afghanistan – Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan – that would allow for the basing of US forces. The primary drones used in Afghanistan – MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers – can reach the country from the bases of US allies in the Gulf, McKenzie said, but such flights…
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