|
Petraeus: Afghanistan attacks reach record high
Bush was a quiet genius. He knew all along that both Iraq and Afghanistan had to be won. It didn't have to necessarily be Iraq, but it had to be something important and Iraq was the best choice (and still is/was). He figured Obama would take care of Afghanistan, so he did the smart thing and took care of Iraq knowing full well that if he didn't then the Dems would once again pull out before the job was done. W did the job so well that if the Dems muck it up now it would be too obvious.OK, Barack: You're on. Your predecessor has both set the standard and paved the road to victory in Afghanistan by setting you up with a solid fighting force and reasonably developed techniques. And whether you know it or not, everybody's watching. Including the American voters. America's top general painted a bleak picture Thursday of the immediate future in Afghanistan, saying that insurgent attacks have risen to record levels not seen since 2001. "There is no question that the situation has deteriorated over the course of the past two years and that there are difficult times ahead," said Gen. David Petraeus, who heads the US Central Command. "The past week was the highest level of security incidents in Afghanistan's history, at least that post-liberation history," Petraeus said in a speech at the annual conference of the Center for New American Security, a Washington thinktank. Petraeus's comments came as the United States is embarking on new strategy in Afghanistan, with increased troop levels and a focus on counterinsurgency tactics. Petraeus said America should draw on the lessons learned in Iraq. At the height of that insurgency, Iraq suffered from 160 violent attacks a day, he said. That number has failen to between 10 and 15 a day. Petraeus masterminded the so-called surge strategy, which is credited with helping stabilize Iraq. Iraq continues to move forward, Petraeus said but Afghanistan "is headed in the other direction." He said some of the violence "will go up because we are going to go after their sanctuaries and their safe havens as we must." Petraeus said Afghanistan presented unique challenges. It is imperative that U.S. soldiers live near local people, build relationships and have a "phenomenal understanding" of the local culture, he said. He said training fledgling Afghan security forces will be critical to long-term success, just as it was in Iraq. President Barack Obama has approved a plan that increases U.S. presence by 21,000 troops. Last month Defense Secretary Robert Gates injected fresh energy into the beleaguered war effort by tapping Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former special operations chief, to take over as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. In May, Obama met with the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan and pledged a more coordinated effort to defeat the insurgents. He has called for improved troop training and added civilian expertise in an effort to battle a resurgent Taliban. After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban. But in recent months, the country has seen a resurgence in extremism and a rise in violence. So far this year, 73 U.S. soldiers have died in Afghanistan. Posted by: gorb 2009-06-12 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=271811 |