"In farewell address, Karzai says US can leave Afghanistan" by Kathy Gannon and Rahim Faiez | Associated Press March 16, 2014
KABUL — In his final address to Afghanistan’s Parliament on Saturday, President Hamid Karzai told the United States its soldiers can leave at the end of the year because his military, which already protects 93 percent of the country, was ready to take over entirely.
He reiterated his stance that he would not sign a pact with the United States that would provide for a residual force of US troops to remain behind after the final withdrawal, unless peace could first be established.
The Afghan president has come under heavy pressure to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement, which a council of notables that he himself convened recommends he sign. The force would train and mentor Afghan troops, and some US Special Forces would also stay to hunt down Al Qaeda.
Related:
"The issue of US soldiers being granted immunity from prosecution in Afghan courts was highlighted by Afghan officials as a potential deal breaker — until it was not. On Sunday, the Afghans drew a line in the sand about US forces searching Afghan homes, a demand that also largely fell by the wayside. And a public statement Tuesday from a Karzai spokesman saying that the Americans were prepared to essentially apologize for past mistakes during the war turned into an embarrassment for the Karzai administration when two senior administration officials denied that there was an apology in the works in a series of negotiation moves that usually ended in Afghan compliance."
He softened his demands but is remaining firm on the issue even though he is being advised and urged to sign and not overplay his hand by rebuffing the demands. Washington and NATO want a quick decision so they can plan for the next phase they were assured!
Also see: Obama keeps options open in Afghanistan
A zero option (blog editor says with hope)?
No, he's holding out hope that Afghanistan’s next president, to be elected this spring, may sign the stalled security agreement, meaning all the pressure was nothing but bluster.
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations said Monday he is ‘‘certain’’ the government will soon sign an agreement with the United States that would allow some US troops to remain behind after the final withdrawal of American soldiers at the end of the year. The US military would train and mentor Afghan troops, and some Special Forces would also be left behind to hunt down Al Qaeda."
Then it isn't even a withdrawal, never mind a "final" one.
And you wonder why I no longer want to read this slop?
It's getting time to leave behind and withdraw from purchasing the Boston Globe. I only bought it today to get the women's NCAA brackets.
All 10 candidates seeking the presidency in April 5 elections have said they would sign the security agreement. But Karzai himself does not appear to want his legacy to include a commitment to a longer foreign troop presence in his country.
Karzai was brought to power after the 2001 US-led invasion and subsequently won two presidential elections, in 2004 and again in 2009. But he has in recent years espoused a combative nationalism, with his hour-long speech Saturday no exception.
‘‘I want to say to all those foreign countries who maybe out of habit or because they want to interfere, that they should not interfere,’’ he said.
Karzai said the war in Afghanistan was ‘‘imposed’’ on his nation, presumably by the 2001 invasion, and told the United States it could bring peace to Afghanistan if it went after terrorist sanctuaries and countries that supported terrorism, a reference to Pakistan.
Pakistan has a complicated relationship with the Taliban. It backed the group before its 2001 overthrow, and although now it is at war with its own militants, Afghan insurgents sometimes find refuge on its territory.
Karzai told Parliament, which was holding its opening session for this term, that security forces were strong enough to defend Afghanistan without the help of international troops.
Karzai steps down after next month’s presidential elections. Under Afghanistan’s constitution, he is banned from seeking a third term.
Related:
Karzai’s brother drops out of race
Another candidate quits Afghan race
They know it is a rigged election despite the threats.
He came to power in December 2001 after an international agreement signed in Bonn, Germany, and was confirmed by a Loya Jirga or grand council that selected a transitional government to rule while preparing for nationwide elections. He subsequently won two presidential elections.
Relations between Karzai and the United States have been on a downward spiral since his reelection in 2009, in which the United States and several other countries charged widespread fraud. Karzai in turn accused them of interference.
In his speech Karzai again urged Taliban insurgents to join the peace process, while accusing Pakistan of protecting the Taliban leadership. He suggested that Pakistan was behind the killing earlier this year of a Taliban leader who supported the peace process. No one has taken responsibility for the attack.
Related:
"A powerful voice who was helping to keep the peace with Afghan Pashtuns and was looked to as a potential peacemaker, Fahim was catapulted to power by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. The United States turned Fahim into its first proxy in the fight against the militants, and CIA operatives were giving him backpacks stuffed with dollars as American jets bombed the Taliban government’s forces. Within a year, Fahim had parlayed his ties to the United States into a dominant role in the nascent Afghan government and begun building a vast patronage network that would enrich his family."
Who would have wanted him dead?
Throughout his speech Karzai spoke of his accomplishments over the last 12 years, saying schools were functioning, rights were being given to women, energy projects were coming online, and the Afghan currency had been stabilized. Karzai said that when he first took power his country was isolated and nothing was functioning.
Yes, women have made much progress since the days of Taliban rule, and as you can see they have won back many of the rights they lost during Taliban rule. Even the girls are getting help these days.
‘‘I know the future president will protect these gains and priorities and will do the best for peace in the country and I, as an Afghan citizen, will support peace and will cooperate.’’
Afghanistan’s current Parliament plans to tackle a number of key issues, including a controversial law on the elimination of violence against women.
Related:
Afghan bill called ‘nightmare for women’s rights’
Afghan women rally against domestic violence, proposed law
Afghan leader to alter bill on domestic abuse
Iraq said to illegally hold many women
Hey, how did that get in there?
Meanwhile, the Taliban released two Afghan army personnel, captured during last month’s deadly raids on two military check points, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement Saturday. The men were freed after elders in the region interceded on their behalf and the military agreed to hand over to the Taliban the bodies of their colleagues left behind on the battlefield.
The attacks on Feb. 23 left 21 Afghan army personnel dead. Several insurgents were also killed.
Related:
"The attack highlighted the vulnerability of Afghan military units, which are generally no longer accompanied by American or other NATO advisers and do not have the close air support they often enjoyed. And it raised questions about the Afghans’ ability to hold out against the insurgents on their own as the NATO mission winds down and international forces prepare to leave Afghanistan at the end of this year. At the same time, there were signals that efforts to start peace talks with the insurgents were foundering."
Of course, the Taliban routinely exaggerate the effectiveness of their attacks:
"Backed by a truck bomb, Taliban gunmen in military fatigues staged a brazen raid Monday against a sprawling base shared by US and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan. But employed against the well-fortified military base Monday, it largely failed — the US soldier and all nine attackers were the only ones killed."
Tell that to the dead's relatives.
Also see:
Helicopter crash in Afghanistan kills six US troops
Part of the Navy SEAL team that were involved in the staged and scripted bin laden killing?
Afghan blast kills 3 coalition troops
Blasts hit 2 bases in Afghanistan, killing US soldier
6 Afghan contractors found beheaded
Afghan car bomb explodes early, kills 9 militants
Two bomb attacks kill 10 Afghans
At least NATO deaths have gone dropped even as Afghan deaths have risen.
--more--"
I found it interesting that the detainee issue was not mentioned in that goodbye. I mean, he was warned about it and let them walk despite the anger and rebuke about people for which there is "no evidence of wrongdoing and insufficient evidence" but that are "biometrical linked and biometrically matched" to acts of terrorism and the US fears they could return to the insurgency. It's almost as Karzai he has cut a deal with the enemy.
Another thing curiously absent was any reference to the "mistaken drone strikes" that accidentally kill women and children -- as well as our allies who are taking the fight to them. Karzai lashed out about those, too, despite the apology.
No mention of the opium problem, either.
As for the chaos in Kabul, underscoring the insurgency’s desire to prevent a US presence (how do attacks help? Wouldn't they wait until after we left? Why am I smelling false flag stenches all over the place?), it was meant in retaliation for a coalition airstrike -- although "Western officials questioned the Taliban’s stated motive for the coordinated attack, which occurred just two days after the airstrike and would have required extensive planning" with "the attack on the lightly guarded restaurant a departure for the Taliban," while "the dead included the representative of the International Monetary Fund in Afghanistan, the UN senior political affairs officer here, and a British Labor Party candidate for the European Parliament who had been working in Afghanistan."
"The bombing served as a reminder that although militant violence in the capital has dropped off in recent months, insurgents remain capable of carrying out attacks inside the most heavily guarded areas. The restaurant, like most facilities that are frequented by foreign diplomats, aid workers, journalists, and businessmen in the war-weary country, has no signs and is heavily secured. Located in the diplomatic quarter of the central Wazir Akbar Khan area, the restaurant is on a small side street off a bumpy semi-paved road in a house with low ceilings and an enclosed patio but no windows. Bags of dirt are piled up around it to act as blast walls, and guests must go through a series of steel airlocks, where they are searched, before entering. The surrounding area is full of police and security guards to protect against insurgent attacks."
Looks like an inside job to me! That should raise fresh questions about the safety of the large international presence.
Sorry if this post isn't to your liking; however, I, like Europeans and Canadians, have grown weary of the war and more than that: I've grown more than weary of war promoting propaganda from the AmeriKan ma$$ media.
I think I will be saying goodbye for today, readers.
UPDATE:
"16 die in suicide blast in Afghanistan" by Azam Ahmed and Haris Kakar | New York Times Syndicate March 19, 2014
KABUL — A suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens more by detonating a rickshaw filled with explosives in a bazaar Tuesday morning, the latest major attack in the lead-up to presidential elections early next month.
The intended target of the attack, which occurred in Maimana, the capital of Faryab province, was unclear, and by afternoon the Taliban had not claimed responsibility for it.
“The target of the attacker was obviously innocent civilians,” said Abdul Satar Barez, deputy provincial governor of Faryab.
And the stinking stench of western intelligence assets.
Other officials suggested that the bombing was meant to sow fear before the elections, to discourage people from voting or gathering for campaign rallies.
“We believe today’s bombing was part of efforts to scare people,” said Naqibullah Fayeq, a member of parliament from Faryab. “Today’s attack had only election motives.”
Toryali Abdeyali, Faryab’s police chief, said there were early indications that the nearby provincial police headquarters was the intended target.
Abdeyali said 16 people were killed, not including the bomber.
I guess he/she? does not count as a human life.
Ahead of the elections, which are scheduled for April 5, Afghan security forces have been taking pains to coordinate security and ensure that polling stations across the country can remain open for the vote.
--more--"
Looks to me like those damn elections are more important than the people in the eyes of my war-promoting, agenda-pushing pre$$.
I found it interesting that the detainee issue was not mentioned in that goodbye. I mean, he was warned about it and let them walk despite the anger and rebuke about people for which there is "no evidence of wrongdoing and insufficient evidence" but that are "biometrical linked and biometrically matched" to acts of terrorism and the US fears they could return to the insurgency. It's almost as Karzai he has cut a deal with the enemy.
Another thing curiously absent was any reference to the "mistaken drone strikes" that accidentally kill women and children -- as well as our allies who are taking the fight to them. Karzai lashed out about those, too, despite the apology.
No mention of the opium problem, either.
As for the chaos in Kabul, underscoring the insurgency’s desire to prevent a US presence (how do attacks help? Wouldn't they wait until after we left? Why am I smelling false flag stenches all over the place?), it was meant in retaliation for a coalition airstrike -- although "Western officials questioned the Taliban’s stated motive for the coordinated attack, which occurred just two days after the airstrike and would have required extensive planning" with "the attack on the lightly guarded restaurant a departure for the Taliban," while "the dead included the representative of the International Monetary Fund in Afghanistan, the UN senior political affairs officer here, and a British Labor Party candidate for the European Parliament who had been working in Afghanistan."
"The bombing served as a reminder that although militant violence in the capital has dropped off in recent months, insurgents remain capable of carrying out attacks inside the most heavily guarded areas. The restaurant, like most facilities that are frequented by foreign diplomats, aid workers, journalists, and businessmen in the war-weary country, has no signs and is heavily secured. Located in the diplomatic quarter of the central Wazir Akbar Khan area, the restaurant is on a small side street off a bumpy semi-paved road in a house with low ceilings and an enclosed patio but no windows. Bags of dirt are piled up around it to act as blast walls, and guests must go through a series of steel airlocks, where they are searched, before entering. The surrounding area is full of police and security guards to protect against insurgent attacks."
Looks like an inside job to me! That should raise fresh questions about the safety of the large international presence.
Sorry if this post isn't to your liking; however, I, like Europeans and Canadians, have grown weary of the war and more than that: I've grown more than weary of war promoting propaganda from the AmeriKan ma$$ media.
I think I will be saying goodbye for today, readers.
UPDATE:
"16 die in suicide blast in Afghanistan" by Azam Ahmed and Haris Kakar | New York Times Syndicate March 19, 2014
KABUL — A suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens more by detonating a rickshaw filled with explosives in a bazaar Tuesday morning, the latest major attack in the lead-up to presidential elections early next month.
The intended target of the attack, which occurred in Maimana, the capital of Faryab province, was unclear, and by afternoon the Taliban had not claimed responsibility for it.
“The target of the attacker was obviously innocent civilians,” said Abdul Satar Barez, deputy provincial governor of Faryab.
And the stinking stench of western intelligence assets.
Other officials suggested that the bombing was meant to sow fear before the elections, to discourage people from voting or gathering for campaign rallies.
“We believe today’s bombing was part of efforts to scare people,” said Naqibullah Fayeq, a member of parliament from Faryab. “Today’s attack had only election motives.”
Toryali Abdeyali, Faryab’s police chief, said there were early indications that the nearby provincial police headquarters was the intended target.
Abdeyali said 16 people were killed, not including the bomber.
I guess he/she? does not count as a human life.
Ahead of the elections, which are scheduled for April 5, Afghan security forces have been taking pains to coordinate security and ensure that polling stations across the country can remain open for the vote.
--more--"
Looks to me like those damn elections are more important than the people in the eyes of my war-promoting, agenda-pushing pre$$.
