The NATO summit that began on Nov 19 in Lisbon, Portugal has one primary objective in regards to the US-led war in Afghanistan: to shelve all talk of President Barack Obama’s July 2011 deadline for beginning the withdrawal of troops.

In recent weeks, the Obama administration has banished the word “withdrawal” from its statements on Afghanistan. July 2011 has become simply the beginning of a “transition.”

The end of 2014 is now being invoked by the US and its allies as the key date in the war. By that time, the Army and National Police of the Karzai regime will be sufficiently large and trained to face the Taliban challenge.

US special envoy Richard Holbrooke told reporters this week in Pakistan: “From Lisbon on, we will be on a transition strategy with a target date of the end of 2014 for Afghanistan to take over responsibility for leading the security.” American forces would still remain after that date, however. “We have a transition strategy. We do not have an exit strategy,” Holbrooke stressed.

The New York Times, having been briefed by administration officials, on November 14 summed up Obama’s perspective: “By the end of 2014, American and NATO combat forces could be withdrawn if conditions warrant, although tens of thousands very likely will remain for training, mentoring and other assistance, just as 50,000 American troops are still in Iraq.”

In other words, Washington plans an indefinite presence of US forces in Afghanistan. Even if “conditions warrant” that foreign troops are not required for direct combat by 2014—a prospect dismissed by virtually all analysts—the Pentagon will assert that an enduring presence is required to provide “training, mentoring and assistance.”

This is particularly the case as Afghanistan has no air force. The US military intends to operate from the massive air base it has constructed at Bagram, in the very heart of Central Asia.

After nine long terrible years of war, the message from Lisbon for the fiercely independent Afghans is respite from ‘hits’ and ‘strikes’ is not in sight as yet. Already, as part of Obama’s surge, which boosted US and NATO troop numbers to 150,000, new offensives have been launched in Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Indicative of the brutal character of such operations over 1,000 bombing missions were conducted in October, compared with 660 in October 2009.

Heavy M1 Abrams tanks are being deployed to southern Afghanistan for the first time to assist Marines in suppressing the resistance they are encountering.  A New York Times despatch on Tuesday literally brought back the memories of long forgotten Vietnam War. The daily said as many as six villages have been levelled in Khosrow district; and the Kandahar governor justified the action ‘We had to destroy them [the villages] to make them safe’.

The toll of US and NATO troops killed and wounded is mounting. This year’s death toll stands at 654 already, with well over 3,000 wounded. The overall number of US and NATO dead since the 2001has passed 2,200.

Various NATO and non-NATO US allies have stepped forward ahead of the Lisbon summit to pledge their continued participation in the war. Germany is extending its mission until 2012 and increasing combat operations by its troops. Canada, which was to withdraw its contingent by the end of 2011, has announced it will leave a force of up to 1,000 “trainers” until 2014. France’s defense minister, Alain Juppe, stated that French troops would not leave until “Afghan authorities have the situation in hand.”

The Australian prime minister, Julia Gillard, told a parliamentary debate last month that Australian forces would be involved in Afghanistan until “the end of decade at least”.

The head of the British armed forces, General Sir David Richards, anticipated an even longer involvement. He declared this week that while most British combat troops may leave between 2012 and 2014, “everyone is clear that we will have to remain a lot longer than that.”

In response to a journalist’s question as to whether the US/NATO occupation could last “30 to 40 years,” he replied, “I think it will.” – (adopted from James Cogan’s despatch on World Socialist Web Site, wsws.org)