Obama eyes compromise strategy on Afghanistan

THE STANS

Top US security aide in Pakistan talks
Islamabad (AFP) Nov 13, 2009 - US National Security Adviser James Jones held talks in Pakistan on his first visit to the nuclear-armed nation on Friday, which coincided with a deadly attack on the country's top spy agency. Jones met Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, at the army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, officials said. "The visiting dignitary remained with the chief of army staff for some time and discussed the matters of mutual interest," the Pakistani military said in a statement. Jones was scheduled to hold talks with Pakistan's civilian and military leaders during his first visit to the country since taking up his current job, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The retired general's visit was overshadowed by a massive suicide car bombing against Pakistan's military-run Inter Intelligence Services agency in the northwestern city of Peshawar, which killed 10 people. The United States has put Pakistan on the frontline of its war against Al-Qaeda and has been increasingly concerned by rising insecurity in a country where attacks and bombings have killed more than 2,500 people in 28 months.

British PM wants 5,000 more foreign troops in Afghanistan
London (AFP) Nov 13, 2009 - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday he was trying to persuade NATO partners in Europe and other allies to commit 5,000 troops to the Afghanistan war. Brown told BBC radio he was sending envoys to fellow European countries in a bid to get them to share the burden. US President Barack Obama is considering his response to a report from General Stanley McChrystal -- the commander of international forces in Afghanistan -- which pushed for tens of thousands more US troops. In addition, "we need our other NATO allies to help," he said.

"I'm asking them to help, I think we can probably get another 5,000 forces into Afghanistan from that NATO and outside NATO group, and we'll be part of that. "I have taken the responsibility of asking others in Europe, and outside Europe actually, if they will back this strategy which is partnering the Afghan forces, mentoring the Afghan forces. "I believe I can persuade countries who said only a few weeks ago they would send no more troops to Afghanistan, that if we are training the Afghan forces and partnering, and if there is a way forward that allows our troops to come home over time, it's right for them to contribute troops as well, and so burden-sharing will happen."

Britain has around 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, largely in the troubled southern Helmand Province where they are battling Taliban insurgents. Brown has made a conditional pledge of a further 500 troops. "We are prepared to put more troops into Afghanistan but there's got to be burden-sharing amongst the alliance," Brown said. "I am suggesting and sending people round Europe to persuade other countries that they should commit more troops. So we are in a process of persuading burden-sharing. "We are the only country actually to have said that we will provide more troops as things stand, but I believe that others will, including countries from NATO." Brown has endured sharp personal criticism in recent weeks over the mounting British death toll in Afghanistan. This year has been the bloodiest for Britain's armed forces since 1982 and the Falklands War with Argentina.

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Nov 13, 2009
President Barack Obama is leaning towards a compromise strategy on troops to Afghanistan, officials said, amid a fierce debate over whether more soldiers should be sent to back up Kabul's flawed government.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that Obama was seeking to show a strong US commitment to Afghanistan while also conveying to President Hamid Karzai's corruption-tainted government that the US military presence had a time limit.

"How do you signal resolve and at the same time signal you are not going to be there forever?" asked Gates, adding that it was a challenge to "get that balance right."

Obama is said to have been presented with a series of options on Afghanistan, three of which envisage reinforcements ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 troops and a fourth that has an undisclosed military element.

He was examining how to "combine some of the best features of several of the options to maximum good effect," Gates said.

Obama, who departed Thursday on an eight-day trip to Asia, spoke to US troops during a stopover in Alaska, pledging "I will not risk your life unless it is necessary to our vital interests."

"We'll give you the strategy and the clear mission you deserve, we'll give you the equipment and support that you need to get the job done, and that includes public support back home," he said.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said no announcement would be made until Obama returns from Asia on November 19, adding that he expected more meetings with the military top brass before the president reached a decision.

"What the president wants to ensure is that we take into account... our time commitment and ensure that we have the strongest partner in the Afghan government," Gibbs told journalists aboard Air Force One.

"It's important to fully examine not just how we're going to get folks in but how we're going to get folks out," he added.

Leaked cables from the US ambassador in Kabul underlined Thursday the perceived failings of Karzai and his government that have emerged as a key problem holding up Obama's troop decision.

Karzai, long supported internationally despite the fact his administration is widely viewed as corrupt, has seen ties with the West sour dramatically since being re-elected in a flawed poll in August.

Ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry, a retired army general who commanded US forces in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007, detailed serious concerns in classified cables leaked to The Washington Post and The New York Times.

He reportedly expressed reservations about Karzai's erratic behavior and warned against sending more American troops to Afghanistan until the Afghan leader gets a grip on the corruption and incompetence in his administration.

The ambassador's position puts him at odds with Afghan war commander General Stanley McChrystal, who wants more than 40,000 additional US troops over the next year and has warned that without them the mission is likely to fail.

Gibbs played down the differences between Eikenberry and McChrystal, suggesting everyone believed it was important for Karzai to turn around the tarnished image of his government.

"You've heard General McChrystal say, and you've heard Ambassador Eikenberry say, and you've quite frankly heard the president say that it's time to start a new chapter in Afghanistan when it comes to governance. And that's obviously going to play a big part in the decision that he makes."

Huge fraud that marred the August 20 presidential election highlighted the scale of corruption in Afghanistan's government and has led to enormous international pressure on Karzai's new administration to clean up.

Karzai was only declared the winner by election officials, whom he appointed, after his challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, abandoned a run-off saying there was no chance of a fair poll.

In a recent US television interview, Karzai dismissed allegations against top officials, including his brother Wali, who is widely accused of involvement in the opium trade.

The president has also faced widespread criticism for his alliances with warlords and one of his two picks for vice president, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, is widely accused of rights abuses.

The Afghan presidency hit back Thursday at the mounting Western concern over corruption, urging the international community to do its part by battling graft in aid contracts.

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THE STANS

US Afghan envoy warns against troop surge: reports
Washington (AFP) Nov 12, 2009
The US envoy to Afghanistan has warned against sending thousands more troops to the country as President Barack Obama weighs strategy options in the eight-year conflict, reports said Thursday. The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, a retired army general who commanded US forces in Afghanistan from 2005-2007, detailed his concerns in classified ca ... read more

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