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U.S. NEWS A5
General says troop
cuts constrain
Afghan training mission
RICHARD LARDNER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
ability to train and advise
the still green Afghan se-
curity forces will be con-
strained if the U.S. troop
level is cut to 5,500 as
President Barack Obama
has proposed, the senior
American commander in
Afghanistan said on Thurs-
day.
Army Gen. John F. Camp-
bell told the Senate Armed
Services Committee that
“very little” training will be follow,” Campbell said.
done with fewer American
forces.
Campbell, who is expected
to retire soon, sparred with
the committee’s chairman,
Republican Sen. John Mc-
Cain of Arizona, and other
senators over the wisdom
of the troop reductions.
McCain, one of Obama’s
harshest critics on national
security issues, wanted to
know whether the troop
number is adequate to
perform the training mission
as well as counterterrorism
operations as Obama has
said it would be.
Campbell said much will
depend on how quickly
the Afghan forces improve.
If they don’t, he said,
the number of American
troops will most likely need
to increase.
But Campbell, who is plan-
ning to retire from military
service, said he is prepar-
ing to go down to 5,500 “as
Judge: U.S. citizen serving as foreign diplomat can face trial
LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S.
citizen serving as a foreign
diplomat from the Domini-
can Republic is not immune
from criminal prosecution
in a United Nations brib-
ery scandal, a judge ruled
Thursday. U.S. District Judge
Vernon Broderick said Fran-
cis Lorenzo can be pros-
ecuted in a bribery case
that also resulted in the ar-
rest of a former president of
the U.N. General Assembly
and a billionaire Chinese
I am ordered.” He said the
decision to announce the
troop withdrawals was a
policy decision and not a
military one.
Campbell acknowledged
that publicly revealing the
troop cuts could allow the
enemy to “wait us out.”
At the same time, he said,
openly debating and dis-
agreeing with the decision
“hurts us as well.”
“Ultimately the president
makes the decision, and
that’s the policy that we
“We follow orders. If it’s not
immoral, (if) it’s not illegal, cur “by the end of 2016,” stan, Army Lt. Gen. John Yet patience among other
then you’ve got to do to
the best of your ability to
make sure that you can
accomplish the mission.”
McCain said it’s unrealistic
to expect a reduced force
to handle the dual mission
of training the Afghans
and counterterrorism. “This
smaller American force
will inevitably be forced to
shoulder a higher level of
risk to themselves, to their
mission and to the nation-
al security of the United
States,” McCain said.
Initially, Obama said he
would trim the U.S. force in
Afghanistan to 5,500 troops
by the end of last year,
and then down to 1,000
by the end of 2016. But
Obama backtracked, say-
ing the situation remained
too fragile for such a rapid
withdrawal.
The current U.S. force of
businessman. Lorenzo, who
has pleaded not guilty and
is free on bail, had claimed
he was entitled to diplo-
matic immunity as an am-
bassador from the Domini-
can Republic.
The judge said Lorenzo’s
interpretation of law would
mean he could not be
criminally prosecuted for
any crime as a U.S. citizen
even though the Depart-
ment of State had not
granted him diplomatic im-
munity. Broderick said dip-
lomatic immunity was not
Friday 5 February 2016
U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Commander and Resolute Support Commander Gen. John Campbell
testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, before a Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing about the situation in Afghanistan.
Associated Press
about 9,800 would stay military phrase “conditions gains made since 2002,
in place through most of based.” when the U.S. committed
2016, Obama said in Oc- Reed also said he wants to rebuilding the country.
tober 2015 during remarks to hear from the officer Nearly $64 billion has been
from the Roosevelt Room Obama selected to re- allotted so far for training
in the White House. The re- place Campbell as the U.S. and equipping the Afghan
duction to 5,500 would oc- commander in Afghani- army and police.
Obama said, although Nicholson Jr. During a hear- lawmakers is fraying with
he didn’t specify exactly ing last week, Nicholson the finish line so far away.
when. The smaller force said he would immediately The Afghans won’t be able
would still be expected to conduct a rigorous as- to independently sustain
handle the twin duties of sessment of troop require- their security forces until
training the Afghans and ments. Reed said Nichol- 2024, according to Camp-
counterterrorism. son’s review should be giv- bell.Campbell also testified
“I want to keep 9,800 as en “extraordinary weight.” Tuesday before the House
long as I can before I drop The committee approved Armed Services Commit-
down to 5,500,” Campbell Nicholson’s selection Thurs- tee. During both appear-
said. day, and the full Senate ances, he described the
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the backed the nomination Afghan security forces as
committee’s ranking Dem- on a voice vote later in the becoming increasingly
ocrat, agreed with McCain day. competent. Yet significant
that any further withdraw- Obama’s critics said leav- hurdles remain, and persis-
als of U.S. troops should ing the Afghans without tent training and advising
be based on the situation enough American military is required to overcome
in Afghanistan, using the trainers would imperil the them, he said.q
designed to give diplomats argument was the first time the fall on charges that
with dual citizenship a “get the 2nd Circuit had con- he participated in a con-
out of jail free card.” fronted the question. He spiracy that prosecutors
Broderick said Lorenzo said lawyers now planned say caused more than a
could still claim immunity to review 1.3 million pages million dollars in bribes from
from prosecution for official of evidence turned over Chinese businessmen to be
acts taken in connection by prosecutors and “move given to John Ashe, a for-
with his diplomatic posi- forward with our motion mer diplomat from Antigua
tion. He noted that Lorenzo to dismiss the indictment and Barbuda who served in
is not subject to expulsion on ‘officials act’ immunity the largely ceremonial post
from the United States, as a grounds.” Lorenzo, who as head of the 193-nation
non-U.S. citizen would be if lives in the Bronx, has been assembly from September
he were accused of crimi- suspended from his posi- 2013 to September 2014.
nal acts. “We are extremely tion as deputy U.N. ambas- Ashe, who is free on bail,
disappointed,” said de- sador from the Dominican has pleaded not guilty to
fense lawyer Brian Bieber. Republic. tax fraud charges brought
He noted that his immunity Lorenzo was arrested in against him in the fall.q