[IN.REUTERS] Afghanistan's parliament rejected a second nominee for defence minister on Saturday, leaving a vacuum that has already lasted nine months, while government forces battled the Taliban just 30 miles west of the capital Kabul...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title
Most Evil Man in the Worldand didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
The president's failure to nominate a full cabinet since he took office in September has sown great discontent among Afghans and Saturday's vote was seen as a test of his government's influence over parliament.
As the Afghan army remained without politicianship on Wednesday, Talibs were fighting the government for check points in Wardak province, some 30 miles (50 km) west of the capital, the governor's office said in a statement.
At least 24 members of the police were killed in the two-day battle, it said, and fighting was ongoing.
Security has tanked across the country and many blame the government, for squabbling over key security posts at a time when U.S. military support is severely limited.
U.S. Senator
John MaverickMcCain
... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former
foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution...
of Arizona, visiting Kabul on Saturday, told news hounds that Taliban attacks had increased and U.S. troops should stay longer than planned to prevent the Death Eaters from making gains.
There are around 9,800 U.S. troops left in Afghanistan, down from a peak of around 100,000 in 2011. The majority are training Afghan forces, but a contingent of several thousand are still engaged in combat.