President Obama will mark his 49th birthday today and million's Afghan Iraqi's and Pakistanis Death anniversaries

Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday dear Barry,
Happy birthday to me.

Today is Barack Obama’s 49th birthday and an  ideal time to mark a little more than a year and a half causing havoc  in the White House. What could be more appropriate to celebrate his 18  months of self interest and self involvement than a day honoring him?

According to the Associated Press, Obama  will have dinner with friends and then settle down to a nice evening in  his Hyde Park house. With his wife and children away, he’ll be “spending  his birthday instead as a bachelor.” That’s the metaphor for the Obama  presidency. He’ll be spending his birthday with his favorite person –  himself.

Since Obama took office January last year,  he’s talked endlessly about himself. At town halls, in speeches, during  anniversaries and to the press, the message has always been the same:  “I.” Obama has spoken some form of “I” or “me” more than 16,000 official  times since he took office.

16,000. 

I. I. YI. YI.

Imagine 16,000 of anything and you are  talking big numbers. 

Instead of 16 candles, light 16,000, but  have the fire department on speed dial. 

Refer to yourself once a day (something that  never happens in Obamaland) and it will take you more than 40 years to  equal Obama. 

Turn that 16,000 into dollars and you could  buy the new 2011 VW Jetta when it comes out in October. 

With an extra 16,000 votes, the  conservatives would have won a total majority in Britain during the last  election.

But when you talk about yourself 16,000  times during roughly 18 months, you have a problem.

When it’s the president of the United  States, the most powerful man in the world, we all have an “I” problem.

Forget the news of the day – economy, race,  pro football or Lindsay Lohan. To the Narcissist-in-Chief, all days  might end in a “y,” but every day starts with an “I.”

Obama has spoken or made remarks more than  700 times and counting – on everything from the economy to LGBT Pride  Month. But he always comes back to one topic – himself.

(Of course, the Obama administration makes  it easier to examine the Mountain of Me via the White House website and  it's a major endeavor. Trying to recreate eight years of. Bush or  Clinton would be even more challenging.) 

Speaking to Senate Democrats on Feb. 3, he  discussed working with the GOP: “And I told them, I want to work  together when we can, and I meant it. I believe that's the best way to  get things done for the American people.” That’s four “I” words out of  30 designed to be about “the American people.”

Want to talk economy? Obama talks Obama. 

When he visited the hard-hit Pennsylvania  city of Allentown, it was all “I” with a smattering of “me” for good  measure. “So from the moment I was sworn into office, I began taking a  number of difficult steps to end this economic crisis. And by the way,  can I just say I didn’t take these steps because they were popular or  because they were particularly gratifying to me – they weren’t,” he told  the crowd.

Every “I” should have been expected. The  night of the election, NBC’s Chuck Todd was quick to call Obama  “post-boomer,” meaning the president wasn’t really one of the 78 million  Baby Boomers. “Basically a post-baby boomer has just won the  presidency. I've had people argue with me, well, technically Obama was  right there at the tail end of the Baby Boomer,” he told election  viewers.

Todd was confused by the youngish attitudes  and alleged tech savvy of the new president and grouped him with Gen. X.  But Obama is a boomer, just as Bill Clinton before him. 

They share the same love of the crowd  (though hopefully not Bill’s up-close-and-personal way of expressing  it). The late comedian George Carlin described it perfectly, calling  boomers (us!) “whiny, narcissistic, self-indulgent people with a simple  philosophy: ‘Give me it. It's mine. Give me that. It's mine.’”

It’s like Carlin knew Obama personally. 

The president whines at the simplest  affront, builds enemies lists of critical media and talks about himself  like he was writing his third autobiography in real time. 

Every major action in the past year has been  part of a continuous string of “gimmes.” Give me control of health  care. Give me control of the auto industry. Give me control of Wall  Street and lots more.

It’s an extreme form of the classic  Democratic give-and-take strategy. We give. They take. 

But there’s only so much giving the voting  and taxpaying public is willing to tolerate. The wiser the voters get to  Obama’s agenda, the more his poll numbers drop. It’s a boomer bust  cycle.

But November is coming and with it, a  partial day of reckoning. Right now, the opposition is growing – whether  they are classic conservatives, tea partiers, rabid independents or  disaffected Democrats.

Come Election Day, no matter how many times  he talks about himself, Obama only gets one vote.

Researcher Katie Bell contributed to this  piece.

Afghanistan economy recovering conflict.

Afghanistan economy,

is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic..........

Read More:http://wsjr.nl/Afghanistan.html

US General Petraeus arrives in Kabul to take over Afghan war

Agence France Presse, Updated: July 02, 2010 22:39 IST

 

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Kabul:  US General David Petraeus arrived in Kabul on Friday to take over as commander of the Afghan war, a NATO official said.

"General Petraeus arrived in Kabul by plane at 1400 GMT and took a helicopter to ISAF headquarters," the official said referring to NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Petraeus takes over as commander of the 140,000 US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan who are fighting Taliban insurgency amid growing concern that the war is bogged down as troop casualties reach record heights.

He is expected to make his public debut in Kabul on Saturday, when he attends celebrations at the US embassy marking the Fourth of July as United States' Independence Day.

His appointment was confirmed in Washington on Wednesday, in a 99-0 Senate vote, a day before the House of Representatives approved a bill to pump another US $37 billion into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The funds will cover the cost of deploying an extra 30,000 troops to turn around the faltering campaign, as part of a counter-insurgency strategy devised by Petraeus and supported by US President Barack Obama.

Petraeus replaces US General Stanley McChrystal, sacked last month after he was quoted in Rolling Stone magazine disparaging US officials, including the President, and leaders of NATO allies also committed to the war.

A four-star general, Petraeus has said he will not alter strategy, despite complaints from soldiers that they are hamstrung by the rules of engagement, and an alarming rise in the number of foreign troops dying on the battlefield.

He has vowed to give his forces the right firepower to fight the Taliban but insisted sparing civilians remained a priority.

Civilian casualties are an incendiary issue in Afghanistan, where many civilians blame the very presence of foreign forces for the ongoing violence.
Source:ndtv.com
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Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-general-petraeus-arrives-in-kabul-to-take-over-afghan-war-35239?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-general-petraeus-arrives-in-kabul-to-take-over-afghan-war-35239?cp

Drop Afghan pullout deadline, Barack Obama told

BARACK Obama is being urged to drop his deadline of July next year to start US troop withdrawals from Afghanistan Fears are rising that the deadline has emboldened the Taliban.
The US President's deadline was yesterday branded unrealistic and the cause of uncertainty about the White House's long-term commitment to the Afghan war.

Critics said it sent the wrong message to the Taliban, that they only had to wait for the US-led forces to leave the country. Afghanistan's ambassador to Washington, Said Jawad, was blunt in declaring the date to start withdrawing troops was unhelpful.
"If you over-emphasise a deadline that is not realistic, you are making the enemy a lot more bold," Mr Jawad said. "You are prolonging the war. That deadline should be realistic. The line should be based on the reality on the ground, and we should give a clear message to the enemy, to the terrorists who are a threat to everyone, that the US, NATO, Afghans, are there to finish this job."
Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain cast aspersion on a "firm date" for the US pullout.
He said Mr Obama's message about withdrawal while at the same time committing not to "turn out the lights in the middle of 2011" was indecipherable.
It made a long-term US commitment appear uncertain. "I'm all for dates for withdrawal, but that's after the strategy succeeds, not before," Senator McCain said.
Mr Obama faces growing pressure over his decision in December to declare -- in the same speech he announced plans to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan -- that the troop withdrawal would start in the middle of next year.
With 93,000 US troops and 43,000 NATO forces in Afghanistan, including 1500 Australians, new allied commander General David Petraeus insists: "We are in this to win."
But progress in the eight-year war is not as fast as the Obama administration would like. The Taliban is entrenched in key parts of Kandahar, and a military surge in the town of Marja this year delivered mixed results. But Mr Obama is sticking with the deadline to begin a US withdrawal, which he is believed to have added to his December troops announcement to appease opponents of the war in his Democratic Party.
The remarks by Mr Jawad, as Afghan President Hamid Karzai's top envoy to Washington, indicate nervousness in Kabul about the US strategy and the message it send to Mr Karzai's enemies.
Prominent Republican Lindsey Graham sounded a warning about the White House strategy. "If you send a signal to your enemy you're going to leave at a certain date, they'll wait you out," he said.
But not all the criticism went against Mr Obama yesterday, as Republican national committee chairman Michael Steele faced pressure to resign after claiming the US could not win the Afghan conflict, which he called a war "of Obama's choosing".
The remarks, made by the Republicans' titular head at a fundraiser, prompted outrage in his own party.
Senator McCain said Mr Steele would have to assess whether he could still lead the Republican Party, which supports the Afghan conflict as a war against terrorism over the attacks on the US of September 11, 2001. "Those statements are wildly inaccurate, and there's no excuse for them," Senator McCain said.
Republican Tom Cole said Mr Steele's gaffe, the latest in a long line to have embarrassed his party, would justify his resignation. Mr Steele has not spoken publicly since his comments, but issued a clarifying statement yesterday: "There is no question that America must win the war on terror."
Source:theaustralian
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New Afghan war Chief David Petraeus in vow to win

By Chris Hughes 5/07/2010

The new commander of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan declared "we are in this to win" as he took charge yesterday.
Top US general David Petraeus made his vow as he received two flags - one for the US and the other for Nato - marking his assumption of command.

He said it was important to show that al- Qaeda and its allies will not be allowed to again establish havens in Afghanistan from which they could launch terror attacks.
He succeeds General Stanley McChrystal, who was fired last month for criticising White House officials in an article.
Gen Petraeus said he would continue McChrystal's emphasis on avoiding civilian deaths but curbs on the use of airpower and heavy weapons might be reviewed if troops were at risk.

Source:: mirror.co.uk

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BBC editor witnesses Taliban Kabul attack

BBC Pashto Kabul bureau editor Dawood Azami found himself caught up amid explosions and gunfire which rocked the centre of the city leaving at least 17 people dead. Here he describes his experiences.

A huge explosion woke me up just before sunrise. An intense gun battle followed and bullets were fired from every direction.

Broken glass was everywhere in the hotel I was staying in. Two bullets went through the window of my hotel room.

It shared a back wall with one of the guest houses where the battle went on for hours. Glass from the windows of my room and bathroom littered my bed and the floor.

Nobody in my hotel knew what to do. I took shelter behind the bathroom wall and sat there for hours. The fighting would stop for a short while but then firing would restart from different directions.

Foreigners

From my room, I could hear the crying and shouting of hotel guests. I could tell from the way some of the guests in the Park Residence were crying - and by the languages they spoke - that they were foreigners.


The air was full of smoke and dust - and broken glass was scattered all over the floor

Dawood Azami
I could hear the security forces shouting at them to move in English and Hindi.

Firing from two sides went on for around four hours. I heard at least two heavy explosions that shook the whole building.

There was confusion. The hotel staff were running and looking for shelter. There were no announcements and nowhere obviously safe to go. I was glad to be behind the bathroom wall for the duration of the operation.

I switched on the television to find out what was happening but there was no signal and the channels were not available.

I opened the front door a few times to see what was going on in the hotel lobby. The air was full of smoke and dust - and broken glass was scattered all over the floor.

It was one of the most devastating attacks in Kabul.

The Ariya and Park Residence guest houses and the Safi Hotel and Shopping Centre were badly damaged. They are in the Shahr-e-Now (new city) area of Kabul which had been considered relatively safe.

I always wonder why people in Kabul use so much glass in buildings. Kabul is attacked frequently and each attack has caused a lot of damage to property and the heavily glassed structures.

Source:news.bbc.co.uk/

2 Army officers among six Indians killed in Kabul attack

Kabul/New Delhi: In yet another attack on Indians in Afghanistan, the Taliban on Friday targeted hotels, killing six Indians associated with development work in the country, including two Major-rank Army officers.

At least 10 others, including five Indian Army officers, were injured in a coordinated strike that killed 11 others, including locals and nationals from other countries.

The bombers, believed to be three in number, struck at the guesthouses, particularly the Park Residence, rented out by the Indian Embassy for its staffers and those linked to India’s development work in Afghanistan.

The deceased were identified as Major Dr. Laishram Jyotin Singh of the Army Medical Corps, Major Deepak Yadav of the Army Education Corps, engineer Bhola Ram, tabla player Nawab Khan, staffer of the Kandahar Consulate Nitish Chibber and ITBP constable Roshan Lal, sources in the Indian Embassy told PTI.

Nawab Khan was part of the three-member cultural troupe sent by India and Bhola Ram, project director at the Afghan Power Grid Corporation, was instrumental in bringing electricity to Kabul from Uzbekistan, the sources said.

The project was completed and Bhola Ram was in the process of handing over the responsibilities to Afghans for which they were being trained.

Roshan Lal (35), a resident of Himachal Pradesh, was deployed as the security personnel at the consulate in Herat. He was on leave and in transit on his way back home.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in telephone calls made to some foreign news wires.

The terrorists targeted those Indians who were engaged in helping Afghan people and building partnership between the two countries, Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad told PTI. — PTI

Source:hindu.com/

Suicide bombers attack central Kabul, killing at least 17

KABUL -- A crew of suicide bombers attacked a central commercial area dotted with guesthouses frequented by foreigners, setting off an hours-long gunbattle with Afghan police early Friday and killing at least 17 people.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the dramatic raid, which began around daybreak and wounded at least 32 people. The assault was the latest in a string of attacks to rock the capital city, whose residents generally feel a world away from the raging rural insurgency that U.S.-led forces are seeking to contain in a new push in southern Afghanistan.

The attack began with a car bombing that left a swimming pool-sized crater outside a small hotel, where most guests were Indian, said Abdul Ghafar Sayed Zada, head of criminal investigations for the city police. Three suicide bombers then entered another nearby guesthouse, the Park Residence, which is often used by Americans.

There, two bombers detonated their explosives, while a third holed up as green-uniformed Afghan security forces descended and a firefight ensued. The final bomber was killed by police about four hours after the attack began, authorities said.

After the standoff ended, police carried out bodies swathed in floral blankets from the Park Residence, their boots crunching layers of shattered window glass that lay underfoot. At least three police officers were killed, Zada said. Among the dead civilians were Italians and several Indians, he said.

Today's attack further eroded the sense of security in the capital, challenging the government of President Hamid Karzai. It came about five weeks after a similar commando-style assault on a shopping center near the presidential palace and a large hotel.


"If we have security, why do we have this kind of drama?" asked Ahmad Haji Zada, 22, who came to survey the damage to his mangled building-parts store, which stood about a block from the hotels. "How is it possible for them to get into the city?"

In the surrounding area, the bombs had laid waste to signs of peaceful pursuits in the long-embattled city. A microfinance bank was partially crumbled. Layered wedding cakes were jumbled inside a glass case in a bakery, their vibrant flowers smashed and blurred.

As Zada spoke, a sporadic firefight was still in progress inside the Park Residence, and occasional booms shook the ground. Police helicopters hovered overhead, surveying what was, even at the height of the gunbattles, a fairly calm scene. It was Friday morning, the beginning of the Afghan weekend, and the streets were mostly empty.

"The sound was a very, very terrible sound," said an employee of a nearby cellphone company, pointing up at the empty window panes of his office. He said he and two Pakistani guests, who had spent the night at the office, were spared injury from flying glass because they were sleeping under heavy blankets.

Despite the Taliban claim of responsibility, the timing of the attack -- when few passersby were present -- sparked speculation among witnesses and authorities at the bomb site.

One Afghan intelligence officer at the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one of the bombers entered the first guesthouse after the car bomb exploded outside and shot two Indian guests. The intelligence officer blamed today's attack on Pakistan's intelligence agency, which U.S. officials have accused of collaborating with Afghan militants in a 2008 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. India is Pakistan's archenemy, and Pakistan strongly opposes its rising influence in Afghanistan.

Many witnesses, however, simply seemed bewildered. Men in turbans rummaged through blackened wreckage, laying the boots and jackets of dead security guards in a muddy pile.

"I have spent all my 22 years in fighting and this kind of explosions," said Zada, the shopkeeper. "It will be like this forever."

Source:washingtonpost.com/

Afghan and NATO Officials: 4 Afghan Soldiers Killed in Joint Force Air Strike

Afghan and NATO officials say a coalition air strike has "likely killed" four Afghan soldiers.

U.S.Military officials say joint force of Afghan and coalition soldiers came under fire early Saturday morning and called in the air strike.

NATO and Afghan officials say their initial investigation after the air strike indicates the small arms fire originated from an Afghan National Army outpost.

Brigadier General Eric Tremblay, an coalition spokesman, called it a regrettable incident.

He said joint forces "work extremely hard" to synchronize their operations.

An Afghan Ministry of Defense spokesman says the International Security Assistance Force and the Afghan army will conduct a joint investigation into what he termed an "unfortunate accident."

Source:voanews.com/

India 'could do business' with Taliban: reports

NEW DELHI — India may join world powers in engaging with moderate Taliban in Afghanistan, despite worries about repercussions for its own security, reports said Saturday.

India still considers the Taliban to be a terrorist group with close links to Al-Qaeda and other outfits.

But New Delhi would back proposals to reach out to them conditionally, Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told the Times of India newspaper in an interview published Saturday.

"The international community has come out with a proposition to bring into the political mainstream those willing to function within the Afghan system," he said.

"If the Taliban meet the three conditions put forward -- acceptance of the Afghan constitution, severing connections with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and renunciation of violence -- and they are accepted in the mainstream of Afghan politics and society, we could do business," added Krishna.

The Economic Times quoted Krishna as saying the Taliban "should be given a second chance" and that military action was not the only way to counter their activity.

Krishna's comments follow a major international conference in London this week where nearly 70 countries backed a 500-million-dollar Afghan government drive to tempt fighters to give up their weapons in exchange for jobs and other incentives.

India has provided over one billion dollars in humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 and also warily backed US President Barack Obama's surge of 30,000 extra U.S. soldiers.

But it has expressed concerns that an early US exit from the war-torn country could reverberate in the region, already reeling from a wave of militant violence in Pakistan.

"We're next door and our experiences make it difficult for us to differentiate between good or bad Taliban," Krishna told the Times of India.

He said Afghanistan's stability depended on neighbouring countries' "support, sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorist organisations" ending immediately, an apparent reference to long-time foe Pakistan
.

Source:AFP

Aid project in Pakistan stalls

ISLAMABAD,  Pakistan- A $46 million American development program in Pakistan's tribal regions along the Afghan border has made little progress since it was launched in 2008, according to a U.S.government audit.
The finding illustrates the challenges facing Washington as it tries to boost civilian aid there to blunt the appeal of al-Qaeda and the Taliban
.

The audit, dated Thursday and posted on the Web site of the U.S. Agency for International Development, found that "little real progress" toward the program's stated goals had been made in the first 22 months of the 36-month program. It said the program so far had spent only $15.5 million.

The program, audited by the office of the inspector general, was set up to strengthen government institutions and local aid groups in the tribal regions. It is to train staff, install computer systems, and run projects to ensure future aid money is spent more effectively.

The audit said work had been slowed by the deteriorating security situation in the northwest. All foreign staff working on U.S. government projects were withdrawn from the northwestern city of Peshawar after a U.S. aid worker was killed there in 2008, making work much more difficult.

It said a plan to install computers and train staff to use them at the tribal region's secretariat in Peshawar had barely gotten off the ground.

It noted that 340 of the 400 computers delivered there remained in boxes.

The audit did mention some successes for the program, such as the creation of a public outreach campaign promoting peace and 74 project and financial management training events held for 1,000 government workers.

The program is being run by Development Alternatives Inc., an American firm that won the contract offered by USAID.

In part the audit blamed a new U.S. government initiative to direct money through the Pakistani government and local aid groups, not foreign for-profit contractors such as DAI.

The shift is an effort to address local demands that as much money as possible is spent locally and thus stays in the country.

As a result of the new strategy, it said DAI did not know whether its contract would be terminated, and many key activities were put on hold.

The audit said the contractor had requested $15 million in June 2009 from the government to continue its work but was given $4.7 million.

In the border region yesterday, security forces battled extremists for a third day and the Pakistani government said 44 suspected insurgents were killed.

The clashes were taking place in Bajur, an area the Pakistani army declared free of extremists in early 2009 after a major offensive.

There was no independent confirmation of the fighting or the identities of the dead in Bajur, a tribal region where al-Qaeda and Taliban have long had a presence.

Pakistan has launched a series of operations against extremists in the tribal regions, pushing them back in some areas.

But the United States wants the army to continue pressing the fight because Taliban fighters in Afghanistan use the region as a base from which to attack NATO and U.S. forces.

It says stabilizing Pakistan and getting it to crack down on extremists in the northwest is key to success in Afghanistan, where Washington is sending 30,000 extra troops in a final attempt to turn around the war.

As well as urging force, the Obama administration has authorized the dispersal of $7.5 billion in development assistance from American taxpayers over the next five years to convince Pakistanis their interests are best served by the state, not by extremists.

Source:philly.com/

Blast Hits Pakistani Checkpoint

A suspected suicide bomber has killed at least 12 people in an attack on a checkpoint in north-west PakistanI, officials say.

A number of people were also injured when the bomber attacked the checkpoint in Khar, the main town in the troubled Bajaur tribal region.

Pakistani security forces have been battling militants in the Khar area.

Government officials said on Friday that at least 24 suspected militants had been killed in the fighting.

"It looks like a suicide attack," regional police official Fazl-e-Rabi told Reuters news agency after the checkpoint attack.

He added that at least seven of the dead appeared to have been passersby.

Initial reports suggested the attacker was in a vehicle. A local official later told AFP news agency the bomber had been wearing a suicide belt.

The army mounted a major offensive against Taliban militants in Bajaur in August 2008, ending in a truce early last year.

Close to the Afghan border, Bajaur has long been suspected of being the hiding-place of Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other top al-Qaeda leaders.

Source:news.peacefmonline.com/

Afghan talks offer not for Mullah Omar: US

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that while the United States backed the Taliban integration programme, the offer did not include the group’s top leadership.

Earlier, the Pentagon had expressed similar sentiments about the integration plan approved at a meeting of more than 60 nations in London on Thursday.

Secretary Clinton, who also attended the conference, told America’s National Public Radio network that she understood the military action alone was not enough to win the war in Afghanistan but the London peace proposal was not meant for senior Taliban leaders.

In her interview to NPR, Mrs Clinton acknowledged that most modern conflicts don’t end with a victory on the field of battle and therefore political and development work was essential.

“I think everyone has realised, as we did in Iraq, that you have to begin to go right at the insurgents and peel those off who are willing to renounce violence, renounce Al Qaeda, agree to live by the laws and constitution of Afghanistan and re-enter society,” Mrs Clinton said.

“That is not going to happen with (Taliban chief) Mullah Omar and the like,” she added. “But there are so many fighters in the Taliban that are there, frankly, because it’s a way to make a living in a country where the Taliban pay them more than they can make as a farmer or in some other line of work out in the countryside.”

Earlier, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told a briefing in Washington that the US government was still working to figure out which mid-level Taliban officials it might be possible to integrate into the current Afghan political structure.

He said that top Taliban figures, like the country’s former leader Mullah Omar, would probably be what he called “a bridge too far”.

“Omar is probably the extreme,” said Mr Morrell. “The foot-soldiers are probably the other extreme. The question is what happens to the others. Can they be won over? Can they become a part of the political fabric? And that’s, I think, what we’re all trying to figure out. And I don’t know that we have an answer yet.”

Secretary Clinton’s remarks came a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai told the London conference that he planned to convene a grand Jirga and invite low-level Taliban militants and “disenchanted brothers who are not part of Al Qaeda or other terrorist networks”.

Secretary Clinton claimed that there had already been some progress on reintegration. “There already have been Taliban who have left,” she said, adding that how the reconciliation process evolved “will be a little bit like jazz … we can’t lay it out completely”.

The secretary, however, insisted that the shift in policy towards accommodation of some fighters did not constitute an exit strategy; instead, it was one element of a comprehensive plan.

“You have to have a very tough-minded attitude about this. This is not sweetness and light,” the secretary of state said. “You’re dealing with a very difficult, complex phenomenon.”

In response to a recent remark by Mr Karzai that he expected western troops to be in Afghanistan for the next decade, Mrs Clinton said she did not think “most western troops will be in a combat role”.

“It won’t be like today, where we are putting in thousands more troops, 30,000 from our own and from other countries,” she said.

In Washington, other US officials told the media that it was up to the Afghan government to decide which Taliban leaders could be integrated.

But the Pentagon spokesman said he expected officials in Kabul to make their decisions in consultation with US President Barack Obama.

Mr Morrell indicated that senior Taliban leaders like Mullah Omar who, in his words, “has the blood of thousands of Americans on his hands”, would likely not be acceptable candidates for “reintegration”.

On Tuesday, the United Nations announced it had removed five former Taliban officials, including a former foreign minister, from its list of terrorists, ending restrictions on their travel and bank accounts. That could be a first step toward involving them in a reconciliation process.

Source:dawn.com

Obama whistles past Afghanistan in annual address

WASHINGTON:In his first state of the union address on Wednesday night, US President Barack Obama re-emphasised an earlier pledge to start bringing back American troops from Afghanistan by 2011 to satisfy his own people who do not want a prolonged engagement in a distant war.

The US president uses his state of the union speech — delivered in a joint congressional session — to underline his achievements in the preceding year and to spell out his plans for the future. “In Afghanistan, we’re increasing our troops and training Afghan security forces so they can begin to take the lead in July of 2011, and our troops can begin to come home,” said Mr Obama, earning a standing ovation from the lawmakers and his guests.

In the president’s 7,308-word speech, there were only 92 words for Afghanistan, a place where more than 100,000 US soldiers are engaged in a fight with an enemy they were told threatens American lives and interests.

The decision to keep references to foreign policy issues to the minimum in one of the longest state of the union speeches in recent years, made it amply clear that the Obama administration would focus mainly on domestic issues in its remaining three years.

The emphasis will be on propping up a sagging economy, creating jobs and education reforms. Recent polls show that most Americans are focussed on economy and what it means for them.

The shift away from his other pet issues — health care reform and climate change — demonstrated the impact last week’s Republican win in the Massachusetts Senate race has had on the president’s agenda. But the way Mr Obama whistled past Afghanistan, surprised many in Washington. Some of them also noted that it took Mr Obama about an hour to utter the word “terrorist”.

The US media pointed out that about 850 words of Mr Obama’s 7,308-word address — around 12 per cent of the total — dealt with foreign affairs.

In contrast, President George W. Bush in his last address devoted some 2,200 words — 38 per cent of the total — to foreign policy issues.

Mr Obama mentioned “terrorists/terrorism” three times and “Al Qaeda” twice; Mr Bush in 2008 used “terror”, “terrorism” or “terrorists” 23 times and “Al Qaeda” 11 times. Mr Bush additionally used the words “extremists” or “extremism” nine times.

“Democracy” made two appearances in Mr Obama’s speech, while Mr Bush used “democracy” or “democratic” seven times.

Mr Obama made reference to Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Haiti, Guinea, South Korea, Panama, Colombia, India, China and Germany.

He did not mention Pakistan.

He also failed to mention the Israeli-Palestinian issue, despite having made the push for a “two-state solution” a foreign policy priority in his inaugural speech last year.

National Security

In the portion dealing with national security, Mr Obama argued that the war against terrorism must be won, and that it required a bipartisan approach.

“Throughout our history, no issue has united this country more than our security. Sadly, some of the unity we felt after 9/11 has dissipated,” he said.

“So let’s put aside the schoolyard taunts about who is tough. Let’s reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values. Let’s leave behind the fear and division, and do what it takes to defend our nation and forge a more hopeful future—for America and the world.”

Drawing on classified information available to him, Mr Obama claimed more success than his predecessor at killing terrorists: “In the last year, hundreds of Al Qaeda’s fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed — far more than in 2008,” he said.

Mr Obama said that in Afghanistan, his administration would “reward good governance”, work to reduce corruption, and support the rights of all Afghans — men and women alike.

“We’re joined by allies and partners who have increased their own commitments, and who … in London … reaffirm(ed) our common purpose. There will be difficult days ahead. But I am absolutely confident we will succeed,” he declared.
Source:dawn.com/

Karzai's Plan To Pay For Peace In Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai met the representatives of more than 60 nations at a summit hosted at London-
.

He used the opportunity to launch a fresh programme of reconciliation and reintegration.

The centrepiece of his plan revolves around tempting militant foot soldiers to switch sides by offering them land, money, jobs and opportunities as an alternative to war.

The Government has had a long-standing policy of offering help and protection to Taliban defectors but it has been poorly funded, so the help has been limited and the defectors few.

One official in receipt of the plan told Sky News that the aim was to appeal to "low and mid-level" Taliban-
who are believed to be drawn into fighting through economic desperation.

"Now is not the time to talk to the ideologues at the top of the insurgency," he said.

"But there's a belief that with some real help - like providing land to cultivate or funds to set up independent businesses - we can persuade the foot soldiers at the bottom to give up their weapons."



Malvi Mohammed Ishaq Nizami

Any fighters joining the programme would have to renounce violence and none with links to al Qaeda would be accepted.

One prominent Taliban who has defected and joined the Reintegration programme, spoke to Sky in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Malvi Mohammed Ishaq Nizami was a well-known Taliban activist, running the country's extremist radio and television station before the fall of the Taliban Government in 2001.

He fled into exile in Pakistan but was offered protection and security if he returned as part of the reconciliation process.

"There is no doubt it was very risky and dangerous," he said, "but I was born in this country and I grew up here and I felt I had a duty to do something for my country so I returned."

He is now engaged in trying to persuade others to join the reintegration programme.

"Money is not the main thing but it is a motivation, and if they are offered specific help which will change their lives, then they will switch sides.

"At the moment the reintegration pot is empty so it is very difficult."



Prince Ali Seraj

The international community has backed President Karzai's plan, but is is controversial.

Prince Ali Seraj runs the National Conciliation for Dialogue with the Tribesmen of Afghanistan - and he believes it is doomed.

"In a poor land like Afghanistan, if you make a statement like that you will have 30 million people lining up to get land and money.

"This is no cohesive group of people with a chief executive officer and a top man. There is no particular list of Taliban where you can say 'Ahmed, come over to us and we will pay you thirty dollars.'

"It is a pipe dream and wishful thinking and will create more problems. You might even have people joining the Taliban so they can be paid to switch."



Haji Ehsan and family

Haji Ehsan was among more than 80 families who saw their businesses reduced to ashes when militants stormed a shopping centre in Kabul last week.

He has been left with nothing - but has 10 children and six grandchildren to care for at home. "It is very hard to find the food for them," he says.

"I have lost my business but the children still need feeding and they are hungry.

"I am worrying a lot about the future because I have no money for anything and no business. I just hope the international community can help us.

"I know the Taliban offer money to people to fight - and this is it, when people have nothing, they will be forced to go out and join any side."

Source:sky.com/

London conference paves ways for reconciliation in Afghan: Chinese FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has welcomed the move to find a way out of the conflict in Afghanistan. He says the London conference has played an important role in supporting the Afghan government.

Yang said, "The conference has provided a very important supporting role. What we are trying to do is to help the Afghan government to realize national reconciliation to ensure internal stability, to bring about economic and social progress and to make the international and regional framework more effective within which the Afghan government can further improve its capacity for better governance."

Yang Jiechi also asked the international community to help Afghanistan develop, and promised to support the work of the UN. He urged the Afghan government to work out better rules and regulations to uproot corruption. Nations have agreed that Afghan forces should aim to take the lead in providing security in a number of provinces by late 2010 or early 2011, opening the way for a reduction in foreign troops.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has welcomed the move to find a way
out of the conflict in Afghanistan. He says the London conference has
played an important role in supporting the Afghan government.

Source:english.cctv.com/

Indonesia detains 26 Afghan migrants

Indonesian police said on Saturday they had detained 26 Afghan migrants who were in transit in the province of North Sumatra, possibly bound for Australia.

"The police found the migrants in Medan area today," said the provincial capital's police chief, Imam Margono.

"We are questioning them at the moment. Usually the migrants want to reach Australia," he said, adding that all the migrants were in good health.

People smugglers use Indonesia as a staging post for transporting Afghans, Sri Lankans and others to Australian




Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has come under political pressure over the issue after a surge in arrivals via Indonesia last year.

Source:news.smh.com.au/

NATO chief sees Afghan mission boost at key meet

London— NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged leaders at a conference on Afghanistan Thursday to match the "sacrifice" of foreign soldiers in the war-torn country with clear plans for its future.

Writing in British newspaper the Times, Rasmussen said the time for reflection on the unstable country's future had passed and called on powers to chart the way ahead at the London meeting.

"The effort and sacrifice of our soldiers alone will not be enough to turn the corner in Afghanistan," he said.

"It will have to be matched by a clear political 'road map'. The London conference will help to set that out."

And he said this year was about putting plans into action to help Afghanistan stand on its own feet.

"2010 is about implementation: with clear Afghan plans to improve governance, a more focused civilian effort, and a substantially stronger military mission," wrote the head of the military alliance.

"There is new momentum in this mission and it is gathering pace. The London conference will give it another boost."

About 70 countries and organisations that give vital support to Afghanistan will attend the Thursday's meeting. They will be addressed by President Hamid Karzai who will seek to drum up support for a range of plans.

Rasmussen praised Karzai's projects as "realistic and achievable."

"I believe that at the London conference those plans will get the support they need, including the financial means," he said.

"Then it will be up to the Afghan Government."

The NATO chief further said he would be "pressuring the allies and our partners to contribute much more to the NATO training mission in Afghanistan."

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), with contributions from 43 different countries, is part of a force of around 110,000 international soldiers fighting a fierce Taliban insurgency.

The United States has pledged a further 30,000 more troops this year.

Source:AFP

Group claims deadly Baghdad blast...Afghan forces shoot at each other

Baghdad
(AP) — There's been a claim of responsibility for a suicide car bombing at Baghdad's main crime lab that killed at least 22 people. An al-Qaida front group, the Islamic State of Iraq, says it pulled off the Tuesday bombing. The group has already said it carried out suicide car bombings at three hotels on Monday that claimed at least 41 lives. The group's statement appeared on militant Web sites today.


KABUL (AP) — A clash between a joint NATO-Afghan force and another Afghan unit in eastern Wardak province this morning killed four Afghan soldiers when they were hit by a NATO airstrike. The Afghan Defense Ministry has condemned the killing and wants those responsible to be brought to justice after an investigation.


MIR ALI, Pakistan
(AP)— Suspected U.S. missile strikes have been raining down on alleged Pakistani militant strongholds in unprecedented numbers since the Dec. 30 bombing against the CIA in Afghanistan. Intelligence officials say nine militants are dead in the latest, which hit a North Waziristan (vah-ZEER'-ih-stahn) compound and bunker.


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Up to a foot of snow is forecast today along a line that follows the borders of Arkansas and Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky and into western North Carolina and Virginia. Several interstates through mountainous parts of North Carolina are shut down. It's the same storm that walloped northern Texas and Oklahoma.


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Police in Utah say a 70-year-old woman who allegedly shot and killed a Head Start teacher in the Salt Lake area knew her victim and called 911 herself after the shooting. Dead is 34-year-old single mother of two Tetyana Nikitina. Police say the alleged shooter had a concealed weapons permit.

Source:kvue.com/

Qaeda would face pressure from Afghan deal-making

London
(Reuters) - Bringing the Taliban into reconciliation talks with the U.S.
-backed Afghan government would strain the insurgents' ties to al Qaeda and lift Western hopes of denying Osama bin Laden the refuge his hosts provide.

Any pressure on al Qaeda's link to its Pashtun protectors could also spur bin Laden's group to expand ties to militants in other Muslim nations out of self-preservation as much as ideology.

The Afghan government on Thursday invited the Taliban
to a peace council, expected early this year, raising the prospect that attempts at political deal-making could eventually move to the forefront of efforts to end the war in Afghanistan.

Analysts said the Afghan Taliban headed by Mullah Omar did not have much incentive yet to join any talks following a year of territorial gains, and its link to al Qaeda remained intact.

But its more nationalist long-term goals differed from those of al Qaeda, whose militant ideology makes violent jihad an obligation for all Muslims, and an eventual rift was possible.

That reality, combined with regular missile attacks by U.S. drones on its hideouts in the mountainous Afghanistan-pakistan
border area, meant al Qaeda was facing multiple pressures.

"Al Qaeda faces a big threat," Edwin Bakker, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague: "The Taliban is a local group able to strike local deals and that's a worry for al Qaeda."

A Western intelligence source said the prospect of such talks would put "a great deal of pressure on al Qaeda

Source:/in.reuters.com/

Rocket attacks fact of Afghan life

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- A voice over the public address system echoes through the cold air: "Rocket attack, rocket attack."

The announcement sends soldiers, civilian workers and journalists scurrying into the concrete bunkers, where they wile away the time chatting, or just shivering in the dark, listening for the dull thud of more detonations outside.

Rocket attacks onto Kandahar Air Field rarely cause significant damage, although NATO said eight service members, four Romanians and four Bulgarians, were wounded here last Sunday.

Nonetheless, the rockets are an annoyance, serving as a reminder that nine years into the war, NATO cannot prevent attacks on its main military base in southern Afghanistan.

For those caught in the open, the procedure is standard duck and dive. Hit the floor, face down. Cover the eyes. Hope the rocket doesn't land too close for injury or worse.

To protect against such attacks, there are blast walls everywhere. Kandahar Air Field is a maze of the things, each creating its own little section. It's inconvenient. Walking from one place to another isn't just a matter of getting quickly from point A to point B. You must learn to go around obstacles.

It's easy to get lost in the sameness of it all: drab, dusty, gray.

But no one bears any grudges against the walls.

Rocket impacts send shrapnel flying everywhere. The deadly chunks of white-hot metal are more likely to slam into the walls, not rip through the head or body.

When the first rocket detonates, the drill is to get down, then scramble to the nearest bunker. Take a seat. Be ready to stay there awhile.

In the dining facilities, in the office spaces in headquarters, in tents and compounds all across the airfield, people hit the deck. Then they hustle to the bunkers.

The base is a big target. There are 22,000 troops and civilians here, from about 20 countries, and it is getting bigger all the time. Most of the attacks are meant more to harass than anything else. The base defenses are state-of-the art; the rockets aren't.


Source:washingtonpost.com/

Olympics, Haiti won't affect Afghan deployment: Senior general

Corporal Jean-Sebastien Giroux, a Flight Engineer for a CH-147 Chinook helicopter, provides security from the ramp during a flight mission. The Canadian Helicopter Force from the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing includes eight CH-146 Griffons where their primary role is to escort transport helicopter.Photograph by: Master Corporal Angela Abbey, CNDKANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Although Canadian troops were "ferociously busy," the commander of the army has concluded that the current humanitarian operation in Haiti
and security demands for the upcoming Olympics will not affect scheduled deployments to Afghanistan.


"My guys have just gone through all the math (and) there is no impact on the current rotation lengths, tour gates for the deployed forces or those going into Afghanistan between now and the end of the mission," Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie said in a telephone interview Friday after returning to Ottawa, following a visit with nearly 4,000 Canadian troops at Fort Irwin, Calif., who are training to deploy to Afghanistan later this year.


Leslie's comments will put to rest speculation among the nearly 3,000 Canadian soldiers now in Afghanistan and those serving elsewhere about what effect the sudden dispatch of about 1,500 Canadian troops to Haiti this month to help earthquake survivors might have on a force that is being seriously stretched by the Afghan combat mission and a massive security operation for the Vancouver Olympics that involves another 4,000 Canadian troops.


Leslie confirmed that the Quebec-based 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment, most of which is now in Haiti, was needed "back in Canada by the end of March, early April, so that they can start their training because they are on deck to go to Afghanistan in December" where they are to be the core element of a team of military trainers that mentors the Afghan army in Kandahar.


"If I have to replace 3 Van Doo with other folks, the government of Canada will let me know," Leslie said, adding that until now, the Canadian Forces have not received any new direction about this from the government.


While declining to say anything about what the army might be able to do to help in Haiti beyond early April, the general said there were "contingency plans for everything."


Despite the demands on the army, Leslie said morale remained so high that when he asked soldiers training in California this week whether any of them wanted to withdraw from their upcoming Afghan tour, the answer was unanimously "no."


Similarly, within hours of the Haiti mission being announced, the general said that so many soldiers wanted to go there that the army had to turn many of them down.


The decision to leave the Afghan plans as they were came after the army staff in Ottawa studied the troop requirements for Kandahar, Haiti and the Olympics and the complex business of synchronizing different levels of training for troops from across Canada going to Afghanistan with such crucial issues as the availability of ranges, ammunition and airlift.


Before the Haiti earthquake, Leslie informed troops slated to deploy to Afghanistan that their tours, which have mostly been either six or nine months in length, would all be extended by four or five weeks.


"The intent behind those tour extensions was to marry up the last of the fighting formations so that they terminate their combat activities as directed by Parliament at the end of June (2011)," the 'three-leaf' general said. "The last group going in will provide security elements to bring everything out of where it is now and centralize it with a remit to get it out by the end of December."


The chief of the army confirmed that the drawdown of forces in 2011 is to be protected by the Alberta-based 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. This was also the first Canadian unit to deploy to Afghanistan early in 2002. The battalion will begin its fourth Afghan tour when it deploys to Kandahar early in the summer of 2011.


"The 3 PPCLI folks' job will be 99 per cent security," Leslie said, "but let's not underestimate the dangers of the security force whose remit is to go out and provide escort for the multiple hundreds of vehicles and thousands of tons of equipment that has to go back to Kandahar and be packaged to be sent home."

Source:edmontonjournal.com

Diplomat's lawyer denies privileged info released in Afghan torture case

OTTAWA — Ottawa and the lawyer for diplomat-whistleblower Richard Colvin are locked in a war of words over the release of a letter that federal lawyers say contained privileged information.

Owen Rees, Colvin's Toronto-based attorney, filed a submission with the Military Police Complaints Commission on Friday that accuses Justice Department lawyers of failing to present all of the facts in the dispute.

The disagreement follows recent criticism of the federal government for holding back on paying the diplomat's legal bills, though the money eventually came through.

Last October, a letter was filed with the police commission, which is investigating what military cops knew or should have known about the alleged torture of prisoners in Afghan jails.

The letter, written by Colvin's former lawyer Lori Bokenfohr, suggested the federal government was trying to intimidate witnesses being interviewed by the police commission.

She quoted from a July 27, 2009, document sent to her client. The note from federal lawyers to all government witnesses stated their professional "reputations" could be on the line if they co-operated with commission interviewers who were described as "interrogators."

Government lawyers say the note was privileged and meant only for clients represented by the Justice Department.

Alain Prefontaine, the government's lead counsel, complained to the commission that in quoting from the document, Bokenfohr breached solicitor-client privilege. He said she had no authority to file it with the military watchdog agency.

Bokenfohr's intimidation complaints also ended up in public when the document was leaked to The Canadian Press.

Colvin's new attorney said in a submission Friday that the commission deserved to see the letter because it represents "an effort by the Government of Canada to discourage subjects and witnesses summoned by the Commission from participating in pre-hearing interviews."

Rees said it's "evidence of interference with the integrity" of the commission.

He also wrote that the government cherry-picked information to bolster its complaint, omitting key facts - such as Colvin notifying his supervisors at the Foreign Affairs Department that he intended to hire his own lawyer.

A copy of Rees' submission was obtained by The Canadian Press.

The police commission investigation is currently on hold, awaiting the federal government's appointment of a chairman. Public hearings into a complaint by two human-rights groups are expected to resume March 22.

The watchdog agency has fought a pitched battle with the federal government to investigate claims that the military should have known about possible torture.

Federal lawyers challenged the commission's jurisdiction in court and won a ruling that limits the agency's investigation.

Opposition parties accused the government of derailing the commission's investigation and decided to hold their own Parliamentary hearings.

It was before one of those meetings last November that Colvin testified he warned federal officials and military commanders about torture in Afghan jails, but was ignored.

Generals, senior federal officials and cabinet ministers denied the charges.

Colvin also claimed nearly all prisoners captured by Canadian troops in 2006 and 2007 were tortured by the Afghan intelligence service - something the government also disputed.

Source:AFP

US officers could be punished over Afghan battle: officials

Washington-
— A military investigation into a deadly battle in eastern Afghanistan could lead to punishment of up to three US Army officers amid allegations of "negligence," officials said on Friday.

US defence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP a Central Command investigation faults three officers, including a battalion commander, for their role and suggests possible disciplinary action.

Nine soldiers were killed and 27 wounded in the July 2008 battle when about 200 Taliban-
fighters broke through American lines and nearly overwhelmed a remote outpost in Wanat.

The battle in rugged terrain near the Pakistani-
border prompted allegations that commanding officers made careless decisions and raised wider questions about Washington's strategy in the Afghan war.

Commanders of the NATO-led force have since shifted their focus to deploying troops in more populated areas, concluding that missions in remote villages such as Wanat make little lasting impact in the fight against the Taliban.

The investigators did not find that major mistakes were made during the battle but focused on decisions and actions prior to the Taliban attack, US officials said.

The results of the probe have been handed over to Army Secretary John McHugh, his office said in a statement on Friday.

McHugh ordered the head of the largest Army command, General Charles Campbell, to "review the recommendations and take action as he deems appropriate with regard to Army personnel identified in the report."

A U.S.-
Army spokesman declined to comment on the details of the probe, which followed a previous army investigation.

"We remain in close contact with the families of our fallen from this battle, and they will be invited to a comprehensive briefing on the investigation following General Campbell's actions," McHugh said in the statement.

Family members of the US soldiers killed in Wanat had previously urged a thorough investigation into the circumstances around the battle.

US Senator Jim Webb of Virginia had also appealed for further examination of the battle after he learned of "allegations of negligence at senior levels in the chain of command."

One of the dead soldier's parents, retired army colonel David Brostrom, has reportedly voiced concerns that the outpost was poorly managed and senior officers had intelligence on an impending attack.

The Washington Post and other media have reported soldiers at Wanat were short of water and sandbags to fortify their positions on a rocky mountainside. Commanders had also withdrawn a drone aircraft tracking insurgents in the area for tasks elsewhere.

The battle at Wanat remains one of the deadliest for the Americans in the eight-year-old Afghan war.

Source:AFP

Video: Afghan prisoner issue creates political crisis in Canada

The Real News Network takes a look at Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to shut down Parliament, allegedly to avoid a no-confidence vote over the treatment of Afghan prisoners by the Canadian armed forces.

Source

Walkom: What did the Afghan war accomplish?

The Afghan war, the war that never should have been fought, is coming to an end.

Along the way, it created much pain. Some 139 Canadian soldiers lost their lives, as did four Canadian civilians. More than 1,400 other soldiers in the NATO-led force were killed plus an unknown number of insurgents and thousands of Afghan civilians.

Thousands more were maimed and wounded.

The ripples from the war radiated across the globe in random and unexpected ways
Here in Canada, four young men embarked on a disastrous plan to protest the war by setting off bombs in downtown Toronto – setting in motion a series of events that left the foursome in jail and their families in tears.

But now the big powers have signalled that they've had enough. At a meeting in London on Thursday, the 42 countries of the NATO-led coalition – backed by 17 other nations with an interest in Afghanistan – agreed to start disengaging their forces by the end of this year.

They've also agreed to a last-ditch effort by Afghan president Hamid Karzai to forge a political compromise with the insurgent Taliban leadership.

True, there are also renewed promises to train the country's army and impossibly corrupt police force. The NATO powers and their friends insist that they are not abandoning the country and will continue to support the Afghan government for another 15 years.

But the bottom line is that the United States and its allies are getting out. They've had enough. The participants in this long-running civil war will have to work out something on their own.

At the very least, that would mean giving the Taliban a role in government. At the most, it would mean letting the civil war continue until all sides are exhausted or until one of the factions wins.

From the beginning, the Afghan war was a badly conceived enterprise. Ostensibly, the country was invaded for reasons of self-defence: The United States had been attacked; under international law, it was authorized to respond.

In fact, Afghanistan's then-Taliban government had no direct role in the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington that precipitated this invasion. There is no evidence that the Taliban or its leader Mullah Omar knew of the planned attacks, authorized them or participated in them.

True, Al Qaeda, which now claims it was behind the attacks, had been operating from Afghanistan – as it operates from neighbouring Pakistan today.

But just as Pakistan's current government is unable or unwilling today to deal with Al Qaeda, so was Afghanistan's Taliban government in 2001.

When threatened with war unless he surrendered Al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, the best that Omar could come up with was an offer to send the terror chief to Pakistan.

In hindsight – given that this is where bin Laden appears to have ended up anyway – the U.S. might have been wiser to accept this offer and dispense with the war.

But it did not. Instead, with the support of Canada and other allies, it repeated the mistakes made by the Soviet Union two decades earlier. It enmeshed itself in a struggle it did not understand.

That struggle was the ongoing Afghan civil war, a complicated and chaotic dispute pitting ethnic group against ethnic group, city against countryside, tribal leaders against clerics, clan against clan and regional power bosses against one another – one in which all participants routinely changed sides and where betrayal was the norm.

The U.S. and its friends easily chased the Taliban out of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.

And if, as Karzai suggested then, the victorious allies had made a deal with Taliban leader Omar, Western involvement in the war might have swiftly ended.

But the allies didn't do so. Now, with the Taliban's position far stronger than it was eight years ago, NATO has belatedly agreed to let Karzai convene a kind of constitutional convention that would include senior insurgent leaders.

The U.S. has even agreed to remove some of the Taliban's top leaders from the United Nations terror watch list, so they can attend this meeting. (Canadian Abousfian Abdelrazik may be bitterly amused by this. The Montreal resident, who made headlines after the Canadian government stranded him for six years in Sudan and who has never been charged with any crime, can't get his name off the UN list – meaning, among other things, that he can't open a bank account.)

All of this could be too late. Talks with the Taliban might have ended the conflict eight years ago. They might have worked even three years ago when New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton was mocked by members of the current Conservative government – and many in the media – for suggesting a negotiated solution to the war.

But now the Taliban know they need only wait. Barack Obama's baffling speech last month, in which the U.S. president simultaneously expanded the American war effort in Afghanistan and set a withdrawal date, demonstrated that his country was preparing to pack its bags and go home.

Thursday's London conference is a signal that the rest of the NATO-led coalition is planning to follow suit.

It's been a long war – longer (although far less deadly) than either World War I or II. It has also been pointless.

Canadians can pride themselves on the fact that their troops fought and died bravely. But we

Source:thestar.com/