US Senator McCain in Afghanistan Ahead of Troop Withdrawal

US Senator John McCain made a Christmas Day trip to Kabul ahead of US and NATO combat troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan on December 31. The Senator met with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and with the country’s chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah, amid renewed concerns that the fight against the Taliban is far from over after more than a decade of war.

From a peak of around 140,000 in 2011, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) force will shrink to 12,000 soldiers, who will stay mainly to train Afghan security forces.

The withdrawal of most Nato troops has triggered fears that Afghanistan will be more vulnerable to Taliban insurgents, who have been gaining ground this year in the country. The Pakistani Taliban was also responsible for the recent massacre of 133 children at a school in Peshawar Credit: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty