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Afghanistan
Iran slams US troop surge in Afghanistan
2009-12-04
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Washington's decision to dispatch 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan will not stabilize the war-torn country.
Not if he can help it, anyway.
"The real solution for Afghanistan is to respect its sovereignty and let the Afghan people determine their own political fate," the Iranian official said late Wednesday.

"Increasing forces in Afghanistan will not resolve the crisis in that country," he added.

The world welcomed US President Barack Obama's slogan of change when he took office in January, but the world has yet to see any of the changes that he promised, the Iranian foreign minister said.
It wasn't you he intended to change.
On Tuesday, Obama announced that the US would increase the number of American soldiers in Afghanistan by some 40 percent, a move that would see Washington deploy another 30,000 soldiers.

The US president warned that the cost of the surge would exceed $30 billion this year alone.

"Going forward, I am committed to addressing these costs openly and honestly. Our new approach in Afghanistan is likely to cost us roughly $30 billion for the military this year, and I will work closely with Congress to address these costs as we work to bring down our deficit," Obama said.

Insurgency has skyrocketed in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban has stepped up attacks against the US and NATO occupation troops utilizing roadside bombs and ambushes.
Having the CINC dither in public tends to produce that kind of response from fundamentalist illiterates with retro passions and few anger management skills.
More than 400 Western troops have lost their lives in the fighting in 2009, making it the deadliest year of the war since the beginning of the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Since the start of the war, the US has made no substantial effort to detain top al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders such as Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Mohammed Omar, who are now believed to reside in Pakistan.
Ah, the DNC talking points have been distributed, I see.
Afghan civilian casualties in the first nine months of the year have also risen to 1,500 with many killed in US air raids, resulting in greater animosity toward the occupiers.
Yeah, it's not fair! We're the only ones who can kill with impunity because we're Pure. So knock it off!

Posted by:Fred

#4  First he dithered (to put it mildly).

Then he announced a 'cast in stone' timetable for a pullout. (Translation: Sorry for the inconvience Taliban - if you just sit tight, rearm and resuppy for 18 months we'll be out of your hair and you can take over again - just like the North Vietmanese did....)

It's hard to imagine a worse sequence of events short of an immediate pullout.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2009-12-04 14:43  

#3  I think one of the nice things about having troops in Afghanistan is they can hike right across the border into Iran if need be.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2009-12-04 11:56  

#2  Yes, dither. Public announcements and displays of reluctance to lead.

CINC is not a 'management' job, and it certainly isn't a staff analyst job.

It's a leadership job and the current occupant of the white house is a miserable failure on that dimension - a failure that HAS discouraged allies and emboldened enemies in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

'Dither' is rather a mild description of the disastrous process we've seen played out in public for the last 5 months.
Posted by: lotp   2009-12-04 10:08  

#1  dither

got a good plan, and even the Dems in congress are mainly going along with it. Worth the time, I am thinking.

besides, would the talibunnies have NOT stepped up attacks if the announcement had come earlier (given that troops wouldnt have arrived any sooner)? I dont think so.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2009-12-04 09:39  

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