Gen. Allen: 'No question' U.S. forces will remain necessary in Afghanistan

http://www.politico.com/

Retired Marine Gen. John Allen, the former commander of allied forces in Afghanistan, is sounding an optimistic note about the war. but says it will necessary for some U.S. forces to remain in the country for a long time. "The Taliban are fighting for their lives right now," Allen said. "We've seen success by the Afghan national security forces. The Taliban has recognized that we're not going anywhere. Eventually our numbers will come down pretty significantly, but there's going to be an international military presence in Afghanistan for a long time." Allen had been nominated to take over command of NATO's military forces, but backed away once he was ensnared in the probe surrounding retired Gen. David Petraeus' affair with a biographer. Allen was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing."There's no question," Allen said when asked if it was "absolutely necessary" for the West to remain in Afghanistan. "The international community will remain engaged. Our forces will continue to train the Afghan forces well after 2014."