U.S. President Barack Obama (R) turns to Afghan President Hamid Karzai as he addresses a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, January 11, 2013.
A Complete US Withdrawal From Afghanistan Would Be 'A Complete Catastrophe' For Civilian Aid -- Business Insider/Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For years, U.S. officials have pointed to the improvements in the everyday lives of Afghans made possible by billions of dollars in aid from the United States and elsewhere.
In Afghanistan, people now live 20 years longer on average than under Taliban rule, they say; 7 million more children attend school and women are 80 percent less likely to die in childbirth.
The specter of an abrupt departure of all U.S. and NATO soldiers from Afghanistan at the end of next year now imperils these gains, they warn, and endangers progress on the massive development challenges that remain.
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My Comment: The Afghans are the ones who must decide their own fate .... if they want to go it alone without international aid .... that is something that they must decide upon and we in the West must respect.