The Heat examines the future of Afghanistan

The Heat

NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan once numbered around 140,000, with the majority of them American. Today only about 10,000 U.S. troops remain, and half of those will be gone next year as U.S. President Barack Obama fulfills his pledge to end 13 years of combat missions. But with the threat from ISIL in the south, and the Taliban on the move, is Afghanistan ready to go it alone?

There are concerns that Afghanistan may not be ready to go it alone. Last year was the bloodiest in the conflict, with more than 5,000 Afghans dying in insurgent violence. With the growing influence of ISIL, new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is calling on his coalition partners to rethink their plans.

The Heat interviewed a panel of experts about the future of Afghanistan:

* Zardasht Shams, culture and press counselor at Afghanistan’s Embassy in Pakistan

* Andrew Wilder, vice president for South and Central Asia at the United States Institute of Peace

* Michael Keating, a senior consulting fellow at the British think tank, Chatham House

* Omar Samad, the former Afghanistan Ambassador to Canada and France

The panel continues: