http://news.antiwar.com/2012/06/09/karzai-us-failed-to-consult-with-afghans-on-airstrike-killing-18-civilians/
Through several security agreements with the Karzai government and a massive publicity campaign, the Obama administration has attempted to make the Afghan war appear over, or at least in transition. U.S. and NATO troops have begun to withdraw, albeit at a slow pace, and a supposed transition to a training mission is supposed to have begun.
The U.S. drone strikes, the espionage and infiltration, the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a botched airstrike in November have all contributed to a growing wrangle between Washington and Islamabad. But the Obama administration’s recent overtures to Pakistan’s arch enemy, India, seem to have made things even worse.
Karzai: US Failed to Consult with Afghans on Airstrike Killing 18 Civilians
Karzai's spokesman said another misstep like this and Kabul will start to view US troops as unwelcome occupiers
by John Glaser, June 09, 2012
Tensions have risen between Washington and Kabul, as President Hamid Karzaicriticized the U.S. for failing to consult with him on an air raid on an Afghan village killed 18 civilians including 9 children.
Through several security agreements with the Karzai government and a massive publicity campaign, the Obama administration has attempted to make the Afghan war appear over, or at least in transition. U.S. and NATO troops have begun to withdraw, albeit at a slow pace, and a supposed transition to a training mission is supposed to have begun.
The pacts the administration signed with the Karzai government nominally put Kabul in charge of what goes on in the country, including in the prison system, the night raids, and the combat planning. But this latest deadly raid made very clear that isn’t the case.
Afghan presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said U.S. troops had called in the airstrike without coordinating with Afghan units, thus violating the terms of its agreements with Washington. He said investigators told President Karzai that Afghan forces had surrounded the house in question, but U.S. troops didn’t care to wait for them to identity the militants and protect civilians and called in the airstrike instead.
Karzai now says that if similar incidents happen in the future, Kabul will consider them a breach of the agreements and that the U.S. was not keeping to its word.
“The expectation of the Afghan government and the Afghan people was that a new page would open between Afghanistan and the United States,” the spokesman said. If another unapproved airstrike occurs, he said, the Afghan government will view U.S. troops as part of an unwelcome “occupation.” This would tend to bring Karzai in line with the rest of the Afghan population, which has always viewed this as such.
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http://news.antiwar.com/2012/06/09/us-pakistan-relationship-worst-it-has-ever-been/
US-Pakistan Relationship ‘Worst It Has Ever Been’
Washington is paling around with Pakistan's arch enemy, India, while Pakistan gets the UN to investigate the US drone war
by John Glaser, June 09, 2012
The relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan has been problematic for years, but lately it has taken on new attributes that liken the two to enemies instead of reluctant partners.
The U.S. drone strikes, the espionage and infiltration, the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a botched airstrike in November have all contributed to a growing wrangle between Washington and Islamabad. But the Obama administration’s recent overtures to Pakistan’s arch enemy, India, seem to have made things even worse.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta went to India recently to speak about improving relations with the Asian country and reportedly made condescending remarks about keeping Islamabad in the dark about U.S. actions, like the raid on Osama bin Laden’s home, for example.
Just days after Panetta’s India trip, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay met with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who claimed that the U.S. drone war violates human rights and Pakistani sovereignty. Pillay then immediately called for a UN investigation into civilian casualties in the U.S. drone war, something the Obama administration has tried very hard to avoid by lying about the true nature of the program and keeping it secret and run by the CIA, as opposed to by the military where it might have to be held accountable.
The latest arguments in recent days are focusing on accusations from Panetta and others in Washington that Pakistan provides safe haven to terrorists, a charge Pakistan has bitterly denied.
Panetta “is oversimplifying some of the very complex issues we are dealing with in our efforts against extremism and terrorism,” the Foreign Ministry said. “We strongly believe that such statements are misplaced and unhelpful in bringing about peace and stability in the region.”
A senior U.S. official described the relationship as “the worst it has ever been.”
“This is from Washington’s point of view and from Pakistan’s point of view, and even among the real well-wishers on both sides who are appalled and befuddled that we can’t get past all of this and move beyond,” said the official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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