McChrystal Hopes for Taliban Deal
An
increase in the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan could lead to a
negotiated peace with the Taliban, the commander of Nato forces in the
country has said.
Stanley McChrystal, in an interview to the London Financial Times,
said he hoped increased troop levels would weaken the Taliban enough
for them to accept a peace deal and bring an end to the war.
An
increase in the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan could lead to a
negotiated peace with the Taliban, the commander of Nato forces in the
country has said.
Stanley McChrystal, in an interview to the London Financial Times,
said he hoped increased troop levels would weaken the Taliban enough
for them to accept a peace deal and bring an end to the war.
"As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there's been enough fighting," McChrystal said in the article published on Monday.
"I believe that a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome. And it's the right outcome."
His
comments come amid preparations for a major conference in London
- involving more than 60 countries - on the conflict in Afghanistan.
'Way forward'
McChrystal said the arrival of an extra 30,000 US troops this year should deliver "very demonstrably positive" progress.
"It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help
set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on
the way forward," he said.
The additional troops, announced by Barack Obama, the US president, in December, will add to the 70,000 US troops already there.
More than 113,000 international soldiers are fighting the Taliban
under US and Nato command in a conflict which started with the US-led
invasion of 2001.
Thursday's conference in London is expected to conclude that
international forces will face up to five more years battling the
Taliban, according to a communique obtained by a British newspaper.
'Physical security'
The Times reported that Afghan forces will take the lead in
"the majority of operations in the insecure areas of Afghanistan within
three years".
It said the forces will be given up to half a decade for "physical security".
The British defence ministry, which has the second biggest
contingent of troops in Afghanistan after the US, said it did not
comment on leaked documents.
But it said a decision on pulling out troops would be based on "conditions, not arbitrary timelines".
Source:
Agencies
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
An
increase in the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan could lead to a
negotiated peace with the Taliban, the commander of Nato forces in the
country has said.
Stanley McChrystal, in an interview to the London Financial Times,
said he hoped increased troop levels would weaken the Taliban enough
for them to accept a peace deal and bring an end to the war.
"As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there's been enough fighting," McChrystal said in the article published on Monday.
"I believe that a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome. And it's the right outcome."
His
comments come amid preparations for a major conference in London
- involving more than 60 countries - on the conflict in Afghanistan.
'Way forward'
McChrystal said the arrival of an extra 30,000 US troops this year should deliver "very demonstrably positive" progress.
"It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help
set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on
the way forward," he said.
The additional troops, announced by Barack Obama, the US president, in December, will add to the 70,000 US troops already there.
More than 113,000 international soldiers are fighting the Taliban
under US and Nato command in a conflict which started with the US-led
invasion of 2001.
Thursday's conference in London is expected to conclude that
international forces will face up to five more years battling the
Taliban, according to a communique obtained by a British newspaper.
'Physical security'
The Times reported that Afghan forces will take the lead in
"the majority of operations in the insecure areas of Afghanistan within
three years".
It said the forces will be given up to half a decade for "physical security".
The British defence ministry, which has the second biggest
contingent of troops in Afghanistan after the US, said it did not
comment on leaked documents.
But it said a decision on pulling out troops would be based on "conditions, not arbitrary timelines".
Source:
Agencies
An
increase in the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan could lead to a
negotiated peace with the Taliban, the commander of Nato forces in the
country has said.
Stanley McChrystal, in an interview to the London Financial Times,
said he hoped increased troop levels would weaken the Taliban enough
for them to accept a peace deal and bring an end to the war.
"As a soldier, my personal feeling is that there's been enough fighting," McChrystal said in the article published on Monday.
"I believe that a political solution to all conflicts is the inevitable outcome. And it's the right outcome."
His
comments come amid preparations for a major conference in London
- involving more than 60 countries - on the conflict in Afghanistan.
'Way forward'
McChrystal said the arrival of an extra 30,000 US troops this year should deliver "very demonstrably positive" progress.
"It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help
set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on
the way forward," he said.
The additional troops, announced by Barack Obama, the US president, in December, will add to the 70,000 US troops already there.
More than 113,000 international soldiers are fighting the Taliban
under US and Nato command in a conflict which started with the US-led
invasion of 2001.
Thursday's conference in London is expected to conclude that
international forces will face up to five more years battling the
Taliban, according to a communique obtained by a British newspaper.
'Physical security'
The Times reported that Afghan forces will take the lead in
"the majority of operations in the insecure areas of Afghanistan within
three years".
It said the forces will be given up to half a decade for "physical security".
The British defence ministry, which has the second biggest
contingent of troops in Afghanistan after the US, said it did not
comment on leaked documents.
But it said a decision on pulling out troops would be based on "conditions, not arbitrary timelines".
Source:
Agencies