http://news.antiwar.com/2012/04/19/karzai-demands-accelerated-withdrawal-after-la-times-photos/
In a statement issued by presidential palace less than 24 hours after the Los Angeles Times released the images, Karzai said demanded an ”accelerated and full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces, so Afghanistan can take over its own destiny, and thus no such things can be repeated by the foreign forces in Afghanistan.”
And that’s about $6 billion more than the Afghan government has to spend. Earlier this year NATO proposed a plan to trim the military by about a third, cutting the costs a bit beyond 2014.
“We would welcome financial contributions from Russia, China and other countries,” Rasmussen noted, as the question of how the $4 billion annual expense is going to be paid for continues to be a hot issue of debate among NATO member nations.
Karzai Demands ‘Accelerated’ Withdrawal After LA Times Photos
The fact that the war is lost is virtually accepted wisdom at this point
by John Glaser, April 19, 2012
In response to newly published photos of U.S. troops happily manipulating the remains of dead Afghans, President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that an accelerated withdrawal of Western troops must take place in order to avoid such “inhumane and provocative” acts.
In a statement issued by presidential palace less than 24 hours after the Los Angeles Times released the images, Karzai said demanded an ”accelerated and full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces, so Afghanistan can take over its own destiny, and thus no such things can be repeated by the foreign forces in Afghanistan.”The release controversy comes at a time when the Obama administration is losing its grip on the war. The last few months have held a number of high-profile failures and embarrassments, including a video depicting U.S. soldiers urinating on Afghan corpses, the U.S. Army’s burning of Muslim holy books that sparked country-wide protests and violence and an unprovoked slaughter of 17 Afghan civilians. Then, last weekend the insurgency began its aggressive spring offensive with spectacular coordinated attacks across the country.
Public support for the war is at an all-time low and some nations with troops on the ground in Afghanistan, like France and Australia, have announced they will be drawing down their troops up to a year before the official withdrawal date at the end of 2014.
Also Thursday, the Taliban, issued a statement on the photos, denouncing the “gruesome acts” of U.S. soldiers. American commentators have excused largely the soldiers’ behavior, but one can imagine how angry and horrified they would be if the Taliban released similar photos.
The fact that the war is lost is virtually accepted wisdom at this point. Accepting a weak, corrupt Afghan government that will have to welcome Taliban rule in some capacity is readily admitted. “It’s up to the Taliban, and other adversaries of the new order in Afghanistan,” said U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, ”whether they will reconcile with it or be part of it, or whether they will continue to fight.”
and.....
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/04/19/nato-officials-fight-back-against-reducing-size-of-afghan-military/
NATO Officials Fight Back Against Reducing Size of Afghan Military
Cuts Would Be 'Delayed' Until 2017
by Jason Ditz, April 19, 2012
There are many ways that the NATO occupation of Afghanistan is to remain a major expense for decades to come, but perhaps the most significant is the massive Afghan military. Created by NATO as a way to escalate the conflict without adding more of their own troops, the Afghan military is expected to cost $6 billion a year going forward.
And that’s about $6 billion more than the Afghan government has to spend. Earlier this year NATO proposed a plan to trim the military by about a third, cutting the costs a bit beyond 2014.Now NATO’s defense and foreign ministers are moving hard against the effort, saying that the cuts would threaten the war. Instead they are pushing a new scheme that would delay the cuts until at least 2017.
Still and all, this will be $6.2 billion a year in costs until 2017, and over $4.1 billion after. No one seems to know where that money is coming from, and beyond Britain’s $110 million pledge there has been no offer of funds. The assumption seems to be that the US will cover the difference.
and......
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/04/19/nato-russia-china-should-help-pay-for-afghanistan-after-2014/
NATO: Russia, China Should Help Pay for Afghanistan After 2014
Russian FM: NATO Should Just Stay Past 2014
by Jason Ditz, April 19, 2012
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traded comments today on Afghanistan, with Rasmussen pushing Russia and China to pay for the massive NATO-created Afghan military after the 2014 “end” to the war and Lavrov suggesting that NATO just not end the war in 2014.
“We would welcome financial contributions from Russia, China and other countries,” Rasmussen noted, as the question of how the $4 billion annual expense is going to be paid for continues to be a hot issue of debate among NATO member nations.Afghan President Hamid Karzai tried to address some of this issue earlier this week, demanding the US pledge a minimum of $2 billion a year as a condition for keeping occupation troops in the nation through 2024. Britain has promised $110 million annually.
Lavrov was critical of the whole discussion, insisting that the 2014 date was “artificial” and that if Afghanistan is such a mess NATO just shouldn’t leave. Of course unspoken in this is that NATO doesn’t actually plan to leave in 2014, and the date is mostly illusory as the start of a “transition” likely to last many years, with the US openly negotiating for at least another decade of war beyond that date.
No comments:
Post a Comment