Help Us, Pleads Afghan Government
Briefing | By Jesse Masai | October 2, 2008
Seven years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan has seen an increase in security incidents that have killed soldiers and civilians, including assassination attempts on President Ahmed Kharzai.
While larger parts of the country remain safe and democratization and
development continue moving forward, Afghan Minister of Defense General
Abdul Rahim Wardak says the rise in violence requires new approaches involving Afghan
institutions, regional partners and the international community.
Speaking at the Heritage Foundation,
General Rahim said Afghanistan has made considerable progress over
time, but also suggested that three significant challenges remain.
• “The capability and capacity of our security forces ought to be enhanced,” he said. He said the Taliban are well-equipped, highly mobile and relying on quality intelligence. • The second challenge, he said, lies in reforming the country’s electoral institutions so that elections deliver legitimate poll results.
The final challenge, he said, lies in the need for the United States government to deny a safe haven, security and support for “enemies of Afghanistan.”
Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow for the South Asia Studies
Center at the Heritage Foundation, suggests that the Afghan government
still needs greater international support to secure and stabilize
Afghanistan, a crucial front in the global War on Terrorism. She says
more international troops are needed, and that “NATO leaders need to
educate their publics about the urgent need to prevent the
re-establishment of a terrorist state in Afghanistan, which would
greatly amplify the worldwide terrorist threat.”
“Washington and Kabul need greater co-operation from Pakistan in
denying sanctuary to Taliban and al-Qaeda elements in the border areas.
The results of the February 18 Pakistani election provide an
opportunity to isolate extremists along the border,” she says.
She says the U.S. should work with NATO countries on a joint approach to Pakistan and consider appointing a high-level envoy to coordinate policies between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Jesse Masai is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.
2 Comments | Post a Comment
Let the Signatories of Project New American Century save Afghanistan with the Blood of their collective carcasses. They wanted it let them pay for it. All while G.W. goes on a swarrie with the King of Saudi arabia in the desert, they looked like a perfect couple kissing & holding hands at Camp David.
October 3 at 4:08 pm | #1 | Link
Both McCain and Obma are warmongers. Both want to increase our military presence in Afghanistan.
Robert Bear, ex-CIA agent, an expert on the Middle East, says we can win neither in Iraq nor Afghanistan.
Read these three articles about Obama. If you want true, substantive change, vote for Ralph Nader.
Obama’s Money Cartel, by Pam Martens
http://www.counterpunch.org/martens05052008.html
The Obama Bubble Agenda, by Pam Martens
http://www.counterpunch.org/martens05062008.html
The Wall Street Model: Unintelligent Design, by Pam Martens
http://www.counterpunch.org/martens09202008.html