Czechs pledge more troops to Afghanistan but real battle will be in parliament

After months of anticipation President Barack Obama finally announced this week he would be sending an extra 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan in a bid to bring the U.S.-led war to a close. To further that end, Washington expects its partners in NATO to send at least another 5,000 troops, and governments in several NATO countries – including the Czech Republic – have already responded. However, they’ll first need to persuade a sceptical parliament in Prague.

Barack Obama, photo: CTK

President Obama appeared before cadets at the West Point military academy on Tuesday evening to make his long-awaited announcement on increasing the U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan. It was a commitment, said the president, that was not open-ended.

“As commander-in-chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan.”

Foreign ministers from America’s 27 NATO allies will meet in Brussels this week to finalise their own troop increases. The Czech defence ministry says it’s considering sending an extra 100 troops to complement the existing Czech contingent of 332, most of whom make up the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Logar. Defence Minister Martin Barták.

“Specifically we can put on the table two proposals that have been approved by parliament but haven’t yet been realised – that would be deploying the ARTHUR artillery detection radar system with about 45 troops and increasing our participation in the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team that advises the Afghan National Army.”

But while the military determination is strong, the political mandate is weak. Minister Barták is part of a caretaker cabinet answerable to the two largest parties. The head of the Social Democrats, Jiří Paroubek, has already ruled out any troop increase. Even Jan Hamáček – the Social Democrat chairman of the lower house foreign affairs committee who strongly supports the NATO operation – says the debate should be about what the extra Czech troops will do, not how many there are.

“If we want to send more troops, the question is where. If the ministry was willing to beef up the numbers that are actually training the Afghan forces, that is something I could imagine. On the other hand, when the defence minister talks about sending an artillery-hunting radar system – which I don’t really see why we should send to Afghanistan – then it means a demand for serious debate. So we should not focus on numbers, we should focus on what the troops would do there. If it means that we would help to train the Afghan forces, then I can imagine that. If it’s just an attempt to tick off the relevant number in some kind of table, I don’t think we should go that way.”

Photo: CTK

Washington originally wanted 10,000 extra troops from NATO, but that number is likely to fall short, reflecting sharp differences in commitment and resources among America’s allies. While Czech lawmakers are likely to haggle for weeks over sending an extra 100 troops, neighbouring Slovakia – which is half the size – has already pledged another 250. Poland, admittedly much larger, says it will send an extra 600, with no parliamentary approval needed.