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PostPosted: 11/12/09 3:48 am • # 1 
I hope an exit plan is put in place ...

Source: U.S. envoy objects to troop increase
Ambassador in Afghanistan reportedly questions country's stability
The Associated Press
updated 4:37 a.m. ET, Thurs., Nov . 12, 2009

WASHINGTON - The U.S. envoy in Afghanistan, a former Army general who once commanded troops in the country, has objected strongly to emerging plans to send tens of thousands of additional forces to the country, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.

Ambassador Karl Eikenberry resigned his Army commission to take the job as U.S. ambassador in Kabul earlier this year, and his is an influential voice among those advising President Barack Obama on Afghanistan. Eikenberry sent multiple classified cables to Washington over the past week that question the wisdom of adding forces when the Afghan political situation is unstable and uncertain, said an official familiar with the cables. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations and the classified documents.

Cables are diplomatic messages that may or may not be classified and carry greater heft than other forms of communication such as e-mail.

Eikenberry made the point that the administration should step cautiously in planning for any troop buildup while there are still so many questions surrounding Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the official said. Eikenberry is the front line U.S. official dealing with Karzai, the U.S.-backed leader whose administration was stained by corruption and mismanagement.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that she is concerned about Afghanistan's "corruption, lack of transparency, poor governance (and) absence of the rule of law."

"We're looking to President Karzai as he forms a new government to take action that will demonstrate - not just to the international community but first and foremost to his own people - that his second term will respond the needs that are so manifest," Clinton said during a news conference in Manila with Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

Wild card
It was a visiting senior senator, Democrat John Kerry, who was instrumental in persuading Karzai last month to accept the findings of a U.N. panel that his re-election vote in August was too marred by fraud to stand.

Karzai agreed to a second round of voting but was elevated to a second term as president without a runoff election when his challenger dropped out. Since then, U.S. officials have been alarmed at some of Karzai's remarks and the lack, so far, of meaningful steps to clean house.

Eikenberry's objections were a wild card in the midst of what had appeared to be the final days of Obama's long decision-making process on how to revamp U.S. strategy in the 8-year war. Eikenberry has participated in some of Obama's war council sessions over the past several weeks.

A senior U.S. official told The Associated Press that Obama rejected all four options presented to him at what had been expected to be the last of those sessions Wednesday. Those options started from the premise that some addition of U.S. forces is necessary, and included ways that Obama could meet or nearly meet war commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal's preference for about 40,000 additional troops.

It is not clear whether Eikenberry's objections played a part in Obama's decision not to accept any of the choices prepared by military planners Wednesday.

At his Senate confirmation hearing in March, Eikenberry underscored what he called the urgency of the requirement to turn around the war effort, which has evolved into a stalemate in key parts of Afghanistan as the Taliban-led insurgency has gained clout.

"Time is of the essence," Eikenberry said. "There will be no substitute for more resources and sacrifice."

He said Europeans, for example, should be expected to provide more mentors for Afghan police trainees. Another key to success, he said, is getting more civilian experts such as agriculture specialists and justice experts who can help reduce Afghanistan's dependence on the illicit narcotics trade.

Eikenberry was the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan for two years before moving to Brussels to be deputy chairman of NATO's military committee in 2007. He had served one previous tour in Afghanistan.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33874921/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/



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PostPosted: 11/12/09 7:59 am • # 2 
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I have read numerous reports that Obama is not happy with any of the 4 Afghanistan alternatives currently being evaluated ~ and I'm willing to bet that both the Fort Hood memorial and yesterday's Veterans Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery [including a visit to the section dedicated to veterans lost in Iraq and Afghanistan] is weighing VERY heavily on Obama's mind ~ since this is not the first time Karzai [gwb's hand-picked man] has been exposed as playing both sides against the middle, there is NO reason to trust him ~ Sooz


November 12, 2009
Posted: November 12th, 2009 12:40 PM ET


KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office contacted the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan about reports the envoy warned against sending more U.S. troops to the country, a Karzai spokesman told CNN Thursday.

Ambassador Karl Eikenberry's office would not confirm the reports to Karzai's office, Karzai spokesman Seyemic Herawi said.

Karzai will not comment on the reports without more information from the U.S. embassy, Herawi said.

Eikenberry's reservations were reportedly spelled out in cables sent to U.S. President Barack Obama last week. Eikenberry has previously expressed worry about corruption in Karzai's government and its ability to partner with the United States to fight the Taliban.

A senior State Department official told CNN that the Obama administration has questions about Karzai's behavior, suggesting that it has been inconsistent.

Asked for an official response on reports of the cables, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said it does not comment on private messages, but did confirm that there had been correspondence between Eikenberry and the president.

Earlier, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said, "We won't discuss classified documents publicly, but, as we have said for months, success in Afghanistan depends on having a true partner in the Afghan government."

Initial reports of cables sent by Eikenberry appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. All three attributed the reports to senior U.S. officials, without identifying them.

The developments came as Obama told his war council Wednesday that the U.S. troop commitment to Afghanistan is not open-ended, and then asked for revisions to options he previously received for sending more troops, a senior administration official told CNN.

The war council - comprising top Cabinet, Pentagon and administration officials - met with Obama for the eighth time to discuss a request by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan for up to 40,000 more troops. The meeting lasted more than two hours, according to the senior administration official.

"The president and his team discussed the length of time that it would take to implement the options he's been presented," the senior official said. "The president believes that we need to make clear to the Afghan government that our commitment is not open-ended. After years of substantial investments by the American people, governance in Afghanistan must improve in a reasonable period of time to ensure a successful transition to our Afghan partner."

In particular, Obama pushed for revisions in proposed plans for troop increases to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, the official said.

The president's questions at the meeting could determine how many troops eventually are sent to Afghanistan, as well as how long they would be there, according to the senior administration official.

Earlier, a senior administration official and a U.S. military official independently told CNN that one option presented to Obama calls for sending about 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, in addition to the 68,000 already committed to the country.

The military official said the plan would send three U.S. Army brigades, totaling about 15,000 troops; a Marine brigade of about 8,000 troops; a headquarters element of about 7,000 troops; and 4,000 to 5,000 support troops. The combat brigades would be brought in gradually, in three-month intervals, according to the military official.

The troops would be spread across the country, mainly focusing in the south and southeast, where much of the fighting is, according to the military official. The option has been a favorite at the Pentagon in recent weeks, the official added.

That is only one option, the senior administration official emphasized. Three other options, the official said, would be "different mixes," or "different components of it."

Despite reports to the contrary, Obama has not decided the number of U.S. troops he will send to Afghanistan, White House officials said.

Such reports are "absolutely false," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. And anyone who suggests otherwise, "doesn't have, in all honesty, the slightest idea what they're talking about."

Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee urged Obama in a letter sent Wednesday - Veterans Day - to agree to the request for additional troops by U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan.

The letter, signed by 10 Republican committee members, said success in Afghanistan will require local leaders and citizens being able to govern and secure their country without substantial international assistance.

- CNN 's Suzanne Malveaux, Mike Mount, Chris Lawrence and Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... more-77527



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PostPosted: 11/12/09 11:43 am • # 3 
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susanne, this POLITICO "Breaking News" email should put your mind at ease ~ Sooz


POLITICO Breaking News:
-----------------------------------------------------

President Barack Obama's strategy for Afghanistan will include a plan for "how we're going to get folks out" after a secure environment can be passed to the Afghan government, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday: "We have been there for eight years. And we're not going to be there forever."


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