"By pulling out troops too quickly Obama would become the president who lost the war and enabled another devastating attack on America"
Yeah, except it turns out Muslims didn't do 9/11; Israel and her helpers in various western governments and intelligence agencies did.
"Risk at heart of debate on withdrawal from Afghanistan" by Lolita C. Baldor | Associated Press, December 04, 2012
WASHINGTON — The debate over how many US troops will remain in Afghanistan after 2014 comes down to risky business.
Then it's not really a withdrawal, is it?
There is a risk that leaving too few troops after 2014 would stop or stall the already slow development of the Afghan army and police, whose competence — and that of the Afghan government as a whole — is crucial to ending the war successfully.
On the other hand, keeping too many foreign troops beyond 2014 might only prolong Afghanistan’s dependence upon them, while Western forces absorb even more casualties. Perhaps the greatest risk is that a wrong calculation by the United States on troop levels could enable the Taliban and affiliated insurgents to regain lost territory and influence....
Underlying that debate is perhaps the starkest risk — that by pulling out troops too quickly, Obama would become the president who lost the war and enabled another devastating attack on America....
Some experts argue that the United States would have to maintain as many as 30,000 troops in order to continue targeting the terror groups that could regain territory and once again become a threat to Western nations.
Military analysts Frederick and Kimberly Kagan lay out a case for keeping such a large counterterrorism force, complete with drones, airstrikes, and special operations forces bolstered by enough support troops to provide protection on the bases.
Why are discredited neo-con war-mongers being cited as expert sourcers?
--more--"
Oh, right, the source of my agenda-pushing media.
Of course, there is another guy that can take the blame despite the security shuffle as the Globe has me shuffling to find the rewritten stories.
"Karzai’s decree intended to stop corruption" by Deb Riechmann | Associated Press, July 28, 2012
KABUL — Traffic problems in the dusty, congested Afghan capital, Kabul....
I just have to take issue with that because it is not what I was told.
I just have to take issue with that because it is not what I was told.
Political analyst Jawid Kohistani did not think the decree would stave off corruption.
‘‘President Hamid Karzai is acting late on corruption,’’ he said Friday. ‘‘We have anti-corruption laws, but it is very difficult to remove corruption. It is hard to just remove corruption by a decree. He should start to remove corruption from inside the palace.
‘‘I’m not confident that this decree will bring good results because those people who are involved in corruption are high-ranking officials in the government. They have control of the economy and they also are grabbing the land. The low-ranking employees of the government — they are only getting small bribes.’’
That sounds so familiar.
Afghanistan, with a history of war and international interference and support, has come in 181st out of 183 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index. Only North Korea and Somalia were deemed to be more corrupt....
That sounds so familiar.
Afghanistan, with a history of war and international interference and support, has come in 181st out of 183 countries on Transparency International’s corruption index. Only North Korea and Somalia were deemed to be more corrupt....
Karzai said the contracting process for development projects, which have poured billions of dollars into his war-torn country’s fragile economy, have led to influence-buying.
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I don't know who said it, but....
“I think that in the next days, the government of Afghanistan’s response to anticorruption efforts are a key test of its ability to regain the confidence of the.... American people [who] are prepared to support with hard-earned tax dollars and with most importantly, with the treasure of our country — the lives of young American men and women.... and say, ‘Hey, that’s something worth dying for.’ ’’
Is it, Americans?
That from the new Secretary of State?
And I've stopped listening to this kind of talk because it never seems to go anywhere:
"A dozen Afghan Taliban prisoners freed" by Rod Nordland | New York Times, November 18, 2012
I don't know who said it, but....
“I think that in the next days, the government of Afghanistan’s response to anticorruption efforts are a key test of its ability to regain the confidence of the.... American people [who] are prepared to support with hard-earned tax dollars and with most importantly, with the treasure of our country — the lives of young American men and women.... and say, ‘Hey, that’s something worth dying for.’ ’’
Is it, Americans?
That from the new Secretary of State?
And I've stopped listening to this kind of talk because it never seems to go anywhere:
"A dozen Afghan Taliban prisoners freed" by Rod Nordland | New York Times, November 18, 2012
KABUL — Many of at least a dozen Afghan Taliban prisoners being released by Pakistan are significant figures, according to officials on all sides, and Afghan peace representatives were exultant Saturday as they announced that more releases might follow.
The releases are expected to help bolster the efforts of the High Peace Council, the Afghan government’s negotiating body, to start talks with the insurgents. Prisoner releases have been a core demand of the council, and Pakistan’s move was seen as a good-faith effort to advance the moribund peace process.
Something will happen to sabotage that. Always does.
Previously, the council had been rejected as insignificant by the Taliban and dismissed as impotent by Western diplomats. Pakistan agreed to the prisoner releases, the most significant it has yet made, on Thursday after a visit by the council to Islamabad.
Something will happen to sabotage that. Always does.
Previously, the council had been rejected as insignificant by the Taliban and dismissed as impotent by Western diplomats. Pakistan agreed to the prisoner releases, the most significant it has yet made, on Thursday after a visit by the council to Islamabad.
The insurgents were quick to praise the releases. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, reached by telephone, said that there were ‘‘important’’ prisoners among those being freed, and that the insurgents had confirmed that some had already reached home.
They know where to call?
Richard Hoagland, a deputy US ambassador to Pakistan, praised the move as well, and said the United States would help Afghanistan and Pakistan provide safe passage home for the freed prisoners.
They know where to call?
Richard Hoagland, a deputy US ambassador to Pakistan, praised the move as well, and said the United States would help Afghanistan and Pakistan provide safe passage home for the freed prisoners.
‘‘We have said from the beginning that it is very important for Afghanistan to lead and to own the reconciliation process,’’ Hoagland said. ‘‘And there is going to be a role for very important players like Pakistan, too, so it’s a very good step and we are pleased.’’
They must be AmeriKan assets or something.
They must be AmeriKan assets or something.
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And as has happened over and over when there is a push for peace or some encouragement something happens:
"Karzai says plot to assassinate spy chief hatched in Pakistan" by Rahim Faiez | Associated Press, December 09, 2012
KABUL— Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that the recent assassination attempt on the country’s intelligence chief was planned in Pakistan, but vowed it would not stop him from seeking Islamabad’s help in coaxing militants to the negotiating table.
See: Taliban tries to kill new Afghan intelligence chief
The attack, conducted by a suicide bomber posing as a peace messenger, severely wounded Asadullah Khalid, dealing a setback to fragile efforts to reconcile with the Taliban and find a political resolution to Afghanistan’s war, now in its 12th year.
That cover is getting old, and cui bono?
Also, never fail to consider the mouthpiece from which this information is being received.
Karzai did not provide evidence for his claim that the attack on Khalid was organized in Pakistan, and he was careful not to accuse Islamabad of having a role in Thursday’s suicide blast. But he stressed that he would raise the issue with high-ranking Pakistani officials.
Sometimes you don't have to. All you have to do is print it, 'er, say it over and over again and eventually it becomes accepted fact, right?
‘‘We will be seeking a lot of clarifications from Pakistan because we know that this man who came there in the name of a guest to meet with Asudullah Khalid came from Pakistan,’’ Karzai said. ‘‘We know that for a fact.’’
What I know for a physically-incontrovertible fact is that 100-story towers can't drop at free-fall speed from jet fires -- for starters.
The Pakistani foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that the Afghan government should share information or evidence it might have about the attack before it levels accusation. The ministry also offered to help the Afghan government investigate any lapses it had in the intelligence chief’s security.
‘‘Pakistan is ready to assist any investigation of this criminal act,’’ it said.
Karzai said Khalid, the head of the National Directorate of Security, was recovering from wounds to his torso and lower body after the bomber detonated explosives that he had hidden inside his body.
So someone cut him open and inserted a bomb inside him? Almost made me shit my pants I was laughing so hard!
The Afghan intelligence agency said earlier that the explosives were hidden in the bomber’s underwear.
Well, whether they were inside his shorts or his guts the whole thing stinks like soiled underwear.
Karzai described the attack as ‘‘a very sophisticated and complicated act by a professional intelligence service.’’
I think he is on to something there, and has piped up in the past on such things. Better watch his back now because something usually happens to get him back on line.
‘‘Where is this intelligence service? Is it in our neighborhood, or somewhere else? We need to find out,’’ he said.
We never will by reading the newspaper, but....
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack on Khalid — the fifth attempt on his life in as many years.
The blast was reminiscent of the September 2011 assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who at the time was leader of a government-appointed peace council. In that attack, an insurgent posing as a Taliban peace envoy detonated a bomb hidden in his turban as he met Rabbani at his Kabul home. Afghan officials have said that the Rabbani killing was planned in the city of Quetta in Pakistan.
See: Rubbing Out Rabbani
Pakistan is seen as a key player in the Afghan peace process. Islamabad has ties to the Taliban dating to the 1990s, and many of the group’s leaders are thought to be held or living in Pakistani territory.
Despite his claims that the attack was planned in Pakistan, Karzai said it would not deter him from pursuing dialogue with the country. He also reiterated his request for Islamabad to release Afghan Taliban figures who have expressed an interest in reconciliation with his government.
Karzai said it was the third attack on key Afghan figures that came since his government appeared to be gaining traction on peace efforts.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!
In July 2011, Karzai’s half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was shot and killed by a close associate in Kandahar, the largest Afghan city in the south.
Related: Karzai's Brother Killed in Kandahar
See what happens when you stray from the orders of empire?
The United States and Afghanistan have accused Islamabad of ongoing support for the Taliban. Pakistan has denied that, but many analysts think the nation continues to see the group as an ally in Afghanistan to counter archenemy India.
The United States and its allies fighting in Afghanistan hope for a peace deal with the Taliban as international combat troops finish their campaign by the end of 2014.
I've stopped believing that particular load of bs.
But obstacles remain, and it is unclear if the Taliban will take part in the process, rather than just wait until foreign forces withdraw.
It's true. We can't stay forever.
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"Attack at Afghan base after Panetta visits" by Matthew Rosenberg and Thom Shanker | New York Times, December 14, 2012
KABUL — Also Thursday, Afghan officials said the powerful chief of the country’s spy service was airlifted to the United States to be treated for wounds sustained in an attempted assassination last week.
Militants have claimed responsibility for the attack on the official, Asadullah Khalid, at a Kabul guest house by a Taliban suicide bomber.
Khalid survived but his abdominal wounds were grievous....
Karzai has suggested the insurgents were aided by Pakistan’s intelligence service in their attempt to kill Khalid, an ethnic Pashtun who was one of the militants’ most implacable and, in the view of many coalition officials, effective foes.
The Taliban draws almost all its support from Pashtuns, the ethnic group to which Karzai also belongs.
In Khalid’s absence, the National Directorate of Security is being run by one of his deputies, General Hisaamuddin Khan, an ethnic Tajik who fought Taliban rule in the 1990s....
Oh, so a Northern Alliance guy has taken over the Afghan intelligence service, 'eh?
Oh, so a Northern Alliance guy has taken over the Afghan intelligence service, 'eh?
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Meanwhile, over at Defense....
"The Defense Ministry nominee is a former Tajik commander from the main faction of warriors whom the United States helped in toppling the Taliban from power. The Tajik bloc is seen as one of the vital factions that will help hold together a government once the United States and its NATO allies leave Afghanistan."
Of course, we aren't really leaving, but it looks like the U.S. is installing its favored warlords in positions of power as Karzai's cabinet is reshuffled just like Obama's.
"Afghan negotiator welcomes release of Taliban prisoners; Move by Pakistan seen as boosting peace process" by Denis D. Gray and Amir Shah | Associated Press, January 02, 2013
Meanwhile, over at Defense....
"The Defense Ministry nominee is a former Tajik commander from the main faction of warriors whom the United States helped in toppling the Taliban from power. The Tajik bloc is seen as one of the vital factions that will help hold together a government once the United States and its NATO allies leave Afghanistan."
Of course, we aren't really leaving, but it looks like the U.S. is installing its favored warlords in positions of power as Karzai's cabinet is reshuffled just like Obama's.
"Afghan negotiator welcomes release of Taliban prisoners; Move by Pakistan seen as boosting peace process" by Denis D. Gray and Amir Shah | Associated Press, January 02, 2013
KABUL — In Kabul, the spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said the Afghan leader would discuss the peace negotiations with President Obama. Karzai departs for Washington early next week.
Karzai will also bring up the ongoing handover of security from NATO to Afghan forces, training and equipment of the forces, and the shape of a US-Afghan agreement after Washington withdraws most of its troops, spokesman Aimal Faizi told a news conference. NATO plans to hand security responsibility over to Afghan forces by the end of 2014....
Islamabad for its part has never said why it arrested the eight in the first place. Neither side has said where this batch of freed prisoners and a previous group of 18 released in November have gone, nor what they will be doing. Another 100 prisoners are believed to remain in Pakistani custody....
Pakistan is seen as key in ending the conflict. Kabul hopes the Taliban can be brought to the negotiating table before the 2014 foreign troop withdrawal.
Then why would they, of all interested parties, kill the Pashtun intelligence chief as my intelligence operation called a newspaper claims?
But Pakistan’s role is mixed. While Pakistan has arrested Afghan Taliban members, usually under pressure from Washington, its powerful military intelligence service has also afforded sanctuary and support for the militants.
Then why would they, of all interested parties, kill the Pashtun intelligence chief as my intelligence operation called a newspaper claims?
But Pakistan’s role is mixed. While Pakistan has arrested Afghan Taliban members, usually under pressure from Washington, its powerful military intelligence service has also afforded sanctuary and support for the militants.
Recently, Pakistan appears to have an interest in promoting a negotiated solution to the war across the border, as a post-2014 upheaval could bring harsh consequences, including another surge of refugees into the country.
And the half-million or so that are there now are damn near forgotten.
Pakistan has longstanding ties to the Taliban, in part for geopolitical reasons. It fears that not having some control of who is or might one day be in power in Afghanistan could leave a vacuum which its archenemy, India, could fill.
Yeah, good thing AmeriKa never worries about such stuff, 'eh?
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And the half-million or so that are there now are damn near forgotten.
Pakistan has longstanding ties to the Taliban, in part for geopolitical reasons. It fears that not having some control of who is or might one day be in power in Afghanistan could leave a vacuum which its archenemy, India, could fill.
Yeah, good thing AmeriKa never worries about such stuff, 'eh?
--more--"
Related:
Two days of talks with Taliban begin
I'm hopeful.
As well as kicked-down doors and drone missile strikes.
I guess that's why the talks never get anywhere.
Also see: Afghan election set for April 2014
