The real reason why the U.S. continues its presence in Afghanistan is Iran – the country which is an annoyance for Israel, said Karen Kwiatkowski, a writer and former U.S. Air Force officer.

She says the real reason America continues its presence in Afghanistan is to keep the pressure up on Iran.

“Obama has not yet defined what winning in Afghanistan looks like,” Kwiatkowski says, “And what we are doing is working towards what is not defined.”

“Pressure from political opponents pushes Obama to increase troops in Afghanistan, to look like he understands war, to look like he cares about defense. It would be a weak point for Democrats, particularly after George W Bush, who was seen as a defense-oriented president. So it is a political gesture to his political opponents at home.”

“On a more strategic level we see a long-term trajectory of Middle East policy of manipulation and occupation that extends from the first George Bush to the second George Bush and now to Barack Obama.”

“US troops in Afghanistan are a verbal threat to Iran”

“This administration is very hawkish on Iran, so the reason why we are in Afghanistan is Iran,” says Kwiatkowski, adding “we want to be in an operational military position to threaten Iran from next door.”

“Iran is not a threat to US in any way. That is not even an issue in any way, shape or form. Iran is an annoyance to Israel, certainly it is a selling point that Iran could or might or has threatened Israel – so there is a concern because Israel is an ally. What we are doing is a part of a larger Middle East policy that necessarily embraces our interests in supporting or facilitating things for Israel.”