{"id":57866,"date":"2021-03-25T20:01:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T20:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/03\/25\/special-operations-command-chief-afghans-need-us-troops-to-counter-taliban\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:04:22","slug":"special-operations-command-chief-afghans-need-us-troops-to-counter-taliban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/03\/25\/special-operations-command-chief-afghans-need-us-troops-to-counter-taliban\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Operations Command chief: Afghans need US troops to counter Taliban"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Afghanistan\u2019s military forces need U.S. assistance to successfully counter the Taliban, the top general for U.S. Special Operations Command<\/a> told Congress on Thursday, amid debate over whether American forces should remain in the country beyond May 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. Richard Clarke <\/a>also echoed the sentiments of other military leaders, saying it\u2019s clear that the Taliban has not upheld its commitment to reduce violence in Afghanistan<\/a> and has instead made a deliberate decision to increase attacks. Those attacks have largely been on the Afghans and haven\u2019t targeted the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden<\/a> has said that it will be \u201ctough\u201d for the U.S. to meet a May 1 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan that was laid out in a peace agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban. But if the deadline is extended, Biden said, it wouldn\u2019t be by a \u201clot longer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t