Mr. Gates said at a news conference that it was too early to assess whether the Taliban would come to the negotiating table and disavow ties to Al Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden, the terrorist organization’s founder, who had personal connections to some top insurgent leaders.
On his 12th and final visit to Afghanistan as defense secretary, Mr. Gates said the allies must take full advantage of political opportunities from President Obama’s deployment of 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, which has increased pressure on the insurgency.
“The enemy has absorbed serious losses — in leadership, manpower and territory — over the last year and a half,” Mr. Gates said. He argued that the mission should be given time to force the Taliban to lay down their arms and negotiate an end to the war.
Mr. Gates expressed hopes that the Kabul government could open significant reconciliation talks with the insurgency “toward the end of this year.” At that point, he said, the United States might “at least be in a position where we can say we’ve turned the corner here in Afghanistan.”
He warned that “making any change prior to that time would be premature.”
Mr. Gates said the administration was unwavering in its pledge to begin withdrawing the 30,000 “surge” forces beginning in July, based on conditions on the ground; no decision on numbers or pace of the drawdown has been made. All foreign combat troops are to be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
Fiscal constraints in Washington, and the death of Bin Laden, have prompted some in Congress to call for swiftly ordering a smaller troop commitment — one focused on hunting terrorists and insurgents, with fewer personnel and less money devoted to rebuilding Afghanistan’s economy and corrupt government institutions. Some administration officials also have favored this more contained mission.
In answer, Mr. Gates said, “The most costly thing of all would be to fail.” At the same time, he acknowledged, “You can’t be oblivious to the growing war-weariness at home and the diminishing support in the Congress.”
A rapid American withdrawal also might be used by allies as a reason to order their forces home, he warned. “We certainly don’t want to precipitate a rush to the exit by our partners,” Mr. Gates said.
At the news conference, the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, repeated his condemnation of raids by American-led NATO forces that resulted in civilian deaths. “While we are partners and allies in the war, the people of Afghanistan do not wish or want to see their houses being bombarded, civilians being killed and lives lost,” Mr. Karzai said. “This is the people’s expectation, and demand.”
Mr. Gates noted “that the vast majority of civilian casualties are caused by the Taliban.”
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