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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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

Iran: London Conference on Afghanistan will solve no problem

First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said on Tuesday that the upcoming London Conference on Afghanistan will solve no problem of the country.

Ankara, Jan 26, IRNA -- Making the remarks after a meeting of Afghan neighboring countries in Istanbul, he said that such conferences sponsored by the occupiers of the country will produce no results and are politically-oriented.

Rahimi further pointed out that what they brought to the region was the revival of terrorism and instead they promoted terrorism in the country and increased drugs production 40 times.

Iran firmly believes that peace and stability will not be established by military presence, he said, adding Iran’s stance was made clear during the event.

Military presence may be useful for spreading insecurity but it will never contribute to development and peace, he said.

“We believe that through cooperation and understanding, countries will be developed and terrorism will go away,” he said.

Stating that the occupiers have reached a deadlock in Afghanistan, Rahimi said that the westerners have not recognized the Afghans and are not familiar with Muslims’ thoughts.

“I am sure that the Afghans will make the occupiers feel regret,” he said.

The best thing for the Afghans is to make preparations for the return of refugees to their country, he said.

Rahimi arrived in Istanbul Monday night to attend the Afghan neighbors conference.

The Istanbul Friendship and Cooperation Conference, comprised of leaders and officials of Afghan neighbors, the host country, and of course Afghanistan, plus Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and some other countries opened in Istanbul on January 26 and will work until January 27.

Source:mathaba.net/