INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Afghan security forces respond to reports of a suicide attack in Kabul earlier this
month
Senior British officers in Afghanistan have long feared the decision of US President Donald Trump to wind down
America's mission in the country.One told me they used to talk about "the tweet of jeopardy", which they said might come at any time from
When I told another officer about the resignation of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, he replied in typical military fashion: "Bugger."It
seems that the US's closest allies may not have known about the prospect of troop withdrawal in Afghanistan
Before the news broke, I interviewed the head of the armed forces, General Sir Nick Carter, who was in the capital, Kabul, to see troops
before Christmas.With lower US engagement, the international coalition itself could be at risk
When I stayed at the NKC (New Kabul Compound) military base, which has a British commander, it was clear that the infrastructure was
provided by the Americans
To bring back 7,000 US troops in the coming weeks was described to me by a British officer as "precipitous".The US move is all the more
surprising given the recent spike in violence in Afghanistan, which has been prompted in part by elections and by ongoing peace
negotiations, with each side trying to assert its strength.Image:UK armed forces chief believed US was "committed" in AfghanistanBritish
soldiers from the Quick Reaction Force told me about being called out just three weeks ago to reports of a suicide bomb followed by an
attack by four gunmen on the base of security firm G4S in Kabul
They ferried injured people to the airport.That attack was carried out by Taliban militants, but international forces now face dangers from
so-called Islamic State (IS) too
The commander of British forces in Afghanistan told me that IS was "a real threat" and has carried out attacks on soft targets in the
capital.When I went to interview Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at his palace headquarters, he said he had been warning of the risk from IS -
or Daesh, as he calls them - for years
Image caption
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told Martha Kearney he was fully aware of the risk posed by IS
This cerebral man, a former anthropologist who worked at the World Bank, is an unusual politician
Mr Ghani showed me the desk he had personally found in an old store room which belonged to a reformist king of Afghanistan, an important
After our interview he was hosting a symposium on a Pashtun warrior poet
But Mr Ghani is capable of extreme pragmatism, appointing a controversial warlord, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, as his vice-president.Gen
Dostum was forced to leave the country under a cloud
The president told me he wouldn't be on the ticket for next April's elections, but he didn't deny appealing for his support.This is my
fourth visit to Afghanistan
When I visited the presidential palace back in 2002, we were able to walk down tree-lined avenues through the diplomatic area
Now the "Green Zone" is a maze of concrete blast walls, barbed wire and check points, a sign of how dangerous the centre of Kabul has become
Image caption
Helicopters are used for transportation as Kabul has become increasingly dangerous
We had
to travel to many locations by Puma helicopters - described by the soldiers as Kabul taxis - or in Foxhound armoured vehicles
It is the Afghans who bear the brunt of the violence
Eight thousand civilians were killed in the first nine months of this year
Since 2015, nearly 30,000 police and army recruits have been killed.With such a high number of casualties it is easy to be pessimistic, but
the British troops are clearly proud of their role in Afghanistan
They mentor instructors at the Afghan officer training academy
A recent female cadet was invited to attend Sandhurst, the UK's prestigious military academy
The other UK role, force protection, means that they are responsible for the safety of advisers like doctors and nurses who have come to
Afghanistan to help rebuild the war-torn country
There are presidential elections in Afghanistan next April, and now the prospect of further US troop withdrawals, which could ultimately
lead to the end of the international coalition here
Gen Carter maintains that progress has been made in creating the conditions for peace
But this is a volatile time in a country inured to instability
