Afghan president offers regional hub to help U.S. battle ISIL

Jim Michaels | USA TODAY

KABUL — Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed establishing a regional hub in his country that could be used by the United States and other allies to battle the growing threat from Islamic State militants throughout the area, U.S. military officials said Sunday.

“The major advantage is we’ve got a willing partner who is asking us not only to help him but allow him to help us,” said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after meeting with Ghani on a one-day visit to Afghanistan. “I do think there’s an opportunity here.”

Dempsey cautioned it is too early to determine whether U.S. resources or a troop commitment would be required if the United States decides to pursue the offer. The Obama administration has been wary of any large or lengthy commitments of U.S. troops in the region.

Ghani described it as a regional hub that could include a number of countries involved in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS.

"His view is, ‘Hey look I’m a willing partner in an area where you may not have willing partners,'" Dempsey said.

Ghani has been far more supportive of U.S. military efforts in his country than his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, who frequently criticized American actions and refused to sign an agreement to extend U.S. military assistance after the combat mission ended. Ghani signed the agreement immediately after taking office last year and has improved relations with Washington.

The United States has about 9,800 troops in Afghanistan now, and most are scheduled to be gone by the end of next year, leaving a contingent of about 1,000 attached to the U.S. Embassy. NATO is also expected to leave behind a small headquarters to coordinate security assistance.

Since those plans were formed, the Islamic State has emerged as a potent threat that the Pentagon says will take years to fight. The militants have gained footholds in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere in the region.

Although the Ghani idea remains nascent, U.S. officials said the concept enjoys some advantages. A regional hub in Afghanistan could potentially allow for the forward deployment of U.S. counterterrorism forces in the region and also provide a base to strengthen regional partners, including Afghan forces, who are in the lead fighting extremists.

“They are a credible and willing partner in (counterterrorism) and could be one of the keys to addressing ISIL in all of South Asia,” Dempsey said of Afghanistan.

The United States had once envisioned Iraq as a strong ally in the region, but its government did not provide the legal authorities that would have allowed the United States to leave troops in the country after 2011.

Dempsey has said the fight against extremism will be a lengthy struggle that could last a generation, but the focus should be to work through partners in the region rather than placing large numbers of conventional troops on the ground.

Small numbers of counterterrorism forces are also required when extremists pose a direct threat to the United States.

“We also have to carve out for ourselves the ability to take actions unilaterally when we deem it to be a credible, real and imminent threat to our people, facilities or the homeland,” Dempsey said.

“We are most successful in that part of the world when we have a light footprint,” he said.

At times Ghani has been accused by political opponents of exaggerating the Islamic State threat in his country in an effort to maintain U.S. support.

But coalition officials say the militant group, which controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, has made some inroads in Afghanistan.

Gen. John Campbell, the top coalition commander here, said the Islamic State is an “emergent” threat, and neither the Taliban nor the Islamic State are powerful enough to topple the Afghan government.

The Islamic State presence here is largely formed from Taliban groups that “rebranded” themselves as Islamic State fighters to attract resources and support, Campbell said. The Islamic State, however, has an outsize psychological impact on security forces and civilians because of its global reputation for brutality, he said.

Ghani “wants to be a partner” in fighting the Islamic State, Campbell said. “He knows that there’s a coalition of 42 countries here, but he knows the United States is kind of the lead sled dog here and wants to continue to have that relationship.”