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Nato Chief Promises Afghanistan Will Get 'Substantially More Forces'
Speaking in Edinburgh at a Nato parliamentary assembly meeting, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said: "In a few weeks, I expect we will decide, in Nato, on the approach, and troop levels needed, to take our mission forward."
Afghan children laugh as NATO French Foreign Legion soldiers deploy for operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) Barack Obama is expected to make a long-awaited declaration on US troop levels and strategy in the next few days. But Rasmussen pre-empted the president by predicting the alliance as a whole would pursue a broad counter-insurgency approach, requiring many more soldiers, rather than the narrower focus on counter-terrorism – such as targeting suspected jihadist leaders – advocated by the US vice-president, Joe Biden.
"I'm confident it will be a counter-insurgency approach, with substantially more forces," Rasmussen said, and promised there would soon be "new momentum" behind Nato's beleaguered Afghan mission.
His announcement follows a meeting of the North Atlantic Council last week, in which the alliance's member states broadly endorsed a strategy proposed by the US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, focused on protecting the civilian population and bolstering the Afghan government.
Gordon Brown said today that 10 Nato member states would be prepared to send extra troops. He has pledged 500 more British soldiers, bringing the UK force to 9,500. Brown said the alliance could send as many as 5,000 alongside the US deployment announced by Obama.
Slovakia said it would raise its troop contribution from 250 to 500 today. The rest of the new forces will come from Nato members such as Turkey and Germany, which is expected to announce the size of its deployment in the new year. Others will come from Nato's partners in the International Security Assistance Force. South Korea will send hundreds of troops to create a new "provincial reconstruction team", probably in Parwan province, north of Kabul. Mongolia is also expected to send a significant contingent.
In another speech to the Nato parliament today, David Miliband called for a new emphasis on building up local government and traditional councils. The foreign secretary noted that the average Afghan government budget for each province was less than $1m (£600,000).
He said there should be more resources pumped into local government which should in turn help recreate representative shuras – traditional councils.
"They can provide a forum for a political debate, and, under carefully controlled conditions, provide the re-entry mechanisms for insurgents seeking reintegration," he said.
Miliband restated British government support for a policy of "flipping" Taliban footsoldiers by offering better livelihoods, followed by overtures to more senior militants. "Once reintegration gains momentum, and the insurgency is stating to fray or crumble, we will need to support President [Hamid] Karzai in reaching out to those high-level commanders that can be persuaded to renounce al-Qaida and pursue their goals peacefully within the constitutional framework," he said.
Western officials predict that one of the most difficult parts of the strategy will be working with the re-elected Karzai government, which Brown has described as "a byword for corruption".
Afghanistan was today declared the second most corrupt country in the world, behind Somalia. The ranking, published by a watchdog group, Transparency International, showed that Afghanistan had slipped three places in its Corruption Perceptions Index over the past year, despite the huge investment and close attention of Nato and international donors. Iraq was fifth worst in the list of 180 countries.
Under intense pressure from Washington, Karzai has announced the creation of an anti-corruption commission, built on the model of the FBI. It is unclear whether there will be any role in the new institution for foreign oversight. British officials believe it should be an entirely Afghan organisation. There is a debate under way between Nato allies and the Karzai government over the creation of new international co-ordinator, or high representative, in Kabul to help ensure that reconstruction money is spent properly.
Miliband will represent Britain at Karzai's inauguration on Thursday at a ceremony that will be closed to journalists.
"Due to capacity and security reasons we cannot invite the media into the palace," a palace spokesman, Siamak Herawi said yesterday.
A survey published today by Oxfam found one in five Afghans had been tortured and one in 10 imprisoned at least once since the 1979 Soviet invasion. Only 1% of those interviewed said they had received any form of compensation for their treatment. Asked about the causes of the conflict 70% of Afghans named poverty and unemployment.
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24 Comments so far
Show All"I'm confident it will be a counter-insurgency approach, with substantially more forces," Rasmussen said, and promised there would soon be "new momentum" behind Nato's beleaguered Afghan mission.
Yes, the "momentum" of dead bodies rolling downhill. At the bottom of the hill is His Excellency, The Great Obama, waxing poetic from his mouth while death oozes from his every pore.
Can some one please get the snake oil out and pass it around washingtons' shite-er elites,they may be running out.
We could get rid of the UN and NATO to free Afghanistan of troops.
Fuck NATO ,another new world order bitch,on the other hand good to see the EU showing its true colors instead of the usual pretense of being less militant than its US partners.
Look the Jewish American Zionist neocons sold the US the "War on Iraq".
That was/is the Jewish plan to ramp up the "War on Islam".
0.2 % of the World's population is Jewish and their "Poster Child" Israel is able to afford the World's 4th strongest Military and with its AIPAC lobby has the USA/UK in a "War on Islam".
The Goyim is so "dumbed down" they don't realize what is going on.
.
Oy! Anti-semitism! Oy! Holocaust™!
Zionism is not equal to Judaism. You can be forgiven for making the error because the Zionists claim they represent the Jewish people. Then the corporate press describes Israel as a "Jewish" state. It is not. It is a Zionist state. So when the Zionists go out and commit crimes, people say "Oh, its those damn Jews." Meanwhile, the Christian right, which hates all Jews-they killed Christ, you know-absolutely loves Israel. Progressive Christians, on the other hand, know and work with many progressive Jewish people to end the madness perpetrated in the name of the Jewish people whose contribution to civilization on a per capita basis is arguably the highest in the world. Top notch scientists, doctors, progressive legal scholars who have made such a great contribution to what is good in the world. This reputation is being dragged through the mud by Zionists who claim to represent them. It is the same everywhere where fascists claim to represent the nation.
More troops will mean more deaths, both Afghans and NATO forces. Also it will create more "terrorists" which could be called "freedom fighters" by the average Afghan. Fighting Afghanistan guerillas is a losing battle, as British and Russian soldiers have learned over the generations.
Thank God! If "NATO gives Afghanistan substantially more forces," maybe they will be able to finally repell this invading army they've suffered for so long now.
This is not good ---- appears that a deal has been struck --- President Weasel Britches will soon announce, I suppose. I sm a bit confused though --- since when is Mongolia or South Korea a member of NATO??? Have I been asleep???
They should send in the Costa Rican army.
I am so pleased that the leaders in NATO have come up with a way to end the wars in Irag and Afghanistan. Too bad the United States is dead broke and we can't afford to join the effort to kill more Muslims. We have just noticed that our nation is collapsing and think we can't afford the fun war games anymore. Our munition makers will be proud to continue selling armaments to those that want to keep the game going, but the United States has to drop out.
Really strong international coalitions of citizens are needed to counter this global military industrial economic policy.
Can someone explain what the fuck MONGOLIA and SLOVOKIA are doing in Afghanistan. Jesus Christ. How did the "leaders" of those countries get so completly bought off.
I wonder what the people in those countries think.
Counter-insurgency? Listen, I want everyone to start calling out these repulsive bombers and make them stop using that language. An insurgent is somebody who rebels against an illegitimate government, like one installed by foreign invaders. The people who are firing at the u.s. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are defending their country against aggression ok? so they have to say that. "President Obomber today announced his plan for the conquest of Afghanistan. He will deploy thousands of troops and lots of bombs to subdue the native population until even such feeble resistance as they have so far managed is stopped. Of course this will involve civilian casualties. What did you expect? These are the people we are bombing."
" An insurgent is someone who rebels against an illegitimate government". I am sure the British called our forefathers insurgents,rebels, terrorists or something similar, you know for sure, they sure as hell did not call the fighters in the American Revolution " freedom fighters".
OBOMBER might want to get suited up with his bullet prof proof helmet and his bullet proof space suit that he could wear at all times,if he keeps on tap dancing down his chosen path for the chosen people ,or maybe he could emmigrate to Iran or China!
So, Fogh of War Rasmussen hath spoken. Make it so. And thus folly marches on. We'll commit the same mistakes (remember Vietnam?) for an eternity and defy anyone who says "learn from history." Santa-whoya? We're untrainable, proud of our retardation, willing to go head to head with anyone on stupidity, belligerence and base barbarianism. Our Harvard educated elites are the dumbest assholes on the planet, and our corporate media will bow and scrape to them because of it. If Obama doesn't work out, there's plenty more where he came from. Insane war is our only product, and we couldn't be prouder! Great to know Gordon Brown and the rest of the NATO buffoons are behind our gallant dumbshit cause in Afghanistan.
Morons of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but the handful of brain cells you still have between your insipid asses!
it is quite obvious that the european citizenry is EXHAUSTED from centuries of contintental warfare - including the 2 world wars - and the ones in former yugoslavia and still raging in parts today....
NATO is a LACKEY of the United States for its purpose of having Europe under ITS boot...that too is clear.
now _ should these NATO/US Puppets keep feeding the US WAR - which is basically what it is - AMERICAN WARS - in central and west asia -
europe should NOT be surprised if the arabs or muslims target europe and its precious historic museum-like beautiful cities and towns ...they already know from their own experiences of centuries of war - ir can happen , and when they least expect it.
and the culprit in the end - will be not JUST NATO - but more importantly - its "big brother" USA with ITS war state agenda coercing and dragging everyone else on the planet .
Well put!
Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace.
The "War on Islam" -- "The War between the Civilizations".
The UK is Broke and in hock to "The Bank of England" which is really the "Bank of Rothschild".
USA is heading that way and its "Reserve Bank" has all its 15 Jewish Directors calling the shots.
Is it any wonder that the Axis for WAR is US + UK + Israel ????
President Emanuel and AIPAC orchestrated Iraq and the momentum must continue.
Is Europe joining the US in blatantly ignoring the will and well-being of its people in order to serve the war industry? I believe most grassroots Europeans see the folly of whatever the hell we are doing in Afghanistan. But will they do anything about it?
I see the move to the right in some countries with a Sarkozy, a Burlusconi. I see the tepid tired out Labour party with a Brown. That should have told me that something was deeply wrong with the European electorate. I believe that nationalism, unemployment and fear of immigrants were used successfully to get voters to vote for right wing domination, to choose against their own self-interest. Disappointment with the fractured and sometimes silly and corruptible left played a role.
But I had not appreciated the depth of the erosion of democracy in Europe until this article. I thought Europeans still had more sway over their leaders. I thought they still understood the costs of war better than we.
Joe
Pandemic corporate Manifest Insanity!
Can't Xe do the job and put us further in the hole?There only are 1.3 billion Moslems to wipe off the planet,plus the rest of the planet's personna non grata, few more billion.
IRAN IRAN! Fast backward to 1958,Twenty tons of heavy water,sold to Zionists by Brits(vital for Israels not so secret TOP SECRET production of plutonium/completion of Dimona nuke( mordechai Vannanu,whistle blower)reactor in the happening NEGEV desert.
The gang in the back room deals Harold Wilson,Tony Benn,Michael Michaels---reference Michael Crick 'How Britain helped Israel get the bomb'.Tony Blair,tennis partner of LORD LEVY ,a Bronfman man,( Bronfmans brought Clintonistas to the white house and insane Mccain's wife is a bronfman family member)Tony spends several months a year at Levy's home in TEL AVIV. Blair approves,then 91 arms export licences.Anyway you get the picture.The mutual for profit back scratchers in USSA/UK,adhere to their sadism/genocide war policies out of NEED .NEED for MORE MONEY?