Editorial: Frontline SAS fighters have a point

Opinion

Green MP Keith Locke raised an arguable point this week in urging the withdrawal of New Zealand Special Air Service troops from Afghanistan.

"It is very strange for a politician to [base decisions] on what the troops in the field want to do, rather than the Government judging the nature of the mission," he said.

This was Mr Locke trying to pressure the Prime Minister to reject the elite unit's request to stay longer, and to confirm to President Barack Obama that the SAS would leave Kabul next March.

In one way, he is right. The purview of army officers does not encompass the global strategic considerations or domestic political exigencies that may underpin a government's decision-making.

But nor is it wise to consider the views of men in the frontline superfluous. They have a keen appreciation of what has been achieved and what remains to be done before a mission can be considered a success.

That factor is clearly behind the request of the SAS to have its mission extended yet again. Its deployment was to have ended last March but its plea to extend that by 12 months was approved by the Government. Two recent episodes in Kabul have reinforced its request for a further extension.

In both instances, one a Taleban assault on the Inter-Continental Hotel and other the storming of the home of an adviser to President Hamid Karzai, the SAS has had to abandon its role of mentoring the Crisis Response Unit of the Afghan police and become involved in the fighting. Reports suggest its direct involvement may have been a decisive factor in blunting the attacks.

This participation, while adding to the reputation of the SAS, indicated that Afghan forces were not ready to handle security duties in their own capital. As such, there is not yet a reasonable chance of delivering the best strategy for achieving stability and a satisfactory outcome to the decade of fighting.

This lies in "Afghanising" the conflict, both through the training and arming of Kabul's forces and the development of infrastructure and governance.

New Zealand's other contingent in Afghanistan, the Provincial Reconstruction Team, has made encouraging progress in the latter field in Bamiyan, which is remote from the heaviest fighting, and should be able to return home at the end of 2014, as scheduled.

The recent incidents involving the SAS ensure its continued presence will be high on the agenda when John Key visits Washington tomorrow. The Prime Minister has said he will tell President Obama that the SAS intends to withdraw in March. He is yet, however, to close the door on an extension.

The Americans are sure to encourage Mr Key to bow to the troops' wish. Domestic political considerations have helped to persuade the President and some of his coalition allies to start withdrawing their forces. That would make a further commitment from New Zealand all the more welcome in Washington.

Mr Key is fortunate that he is not under strong pressure from New Zealanders to withdraw the SAS. This country's losses in Afghanistan have been relatively light, compared with, say, Britain, Canada and Australia.

Equally, the conflict has reached a pivotal point, with several signs of encouraging progress. Taleban troops have been surrendering in some of the more troublesome parts of the country, and tentative peace talks have begun with moderate Taleban leaders.

Expectations of what can be achieved in Afghanistan have been diminished, not least because of the Karzai Government's lack of credibility. But any exit must not be so rushed that it leaves the way clear for the Taleban. On that basis, there is good reason to allow the SAS to extend its mission.