ISLAMABAD - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to arrive in Islamabad later on Tuesday on a mission to make Pakistan and Afghanistan stop their bickering and work better together to fight the Taleban. RiceÂ’s return to the region, just three months after accompanying President George W. Bush there, comes at a time when both the Afghan and Pakistani leaders are suffering from slumps in popularity and their credibility is being questioned abroad.
Rice praised both allies for their efforts in the war on terrorism in remarks to reporters on Tuesday while en route to Pakistan for talks with President Pervez Musharraf, but knows she has her work cut out. “The piece we need to work harder on is the cooperation that is US-Afghan-Pakistani in that region,” Rice said ahead of a refuelling stop in Scotland. “We want (in Pakistan) to talk about what more we can do.” | Or what we will do if they don't |
The level of violence in Afghanistan, especially in the south, is now the worst it has been since the Taleban were driven from power in 2001, with over 1,100 people killed since January. | Most of which are the bad guys |
Two years ago, Afghanistan was being held up as a US foreign policy success story following President Hamid KarzaiÂ’s election triumph in late 2004. Now, with elections for the US Senate and House of Representatives looming, Bush is under fire from Democrats for failing to subdue the Taleban threat. | He is? I only hear them jabbering about pulling out of Iraq |
The insurgency and general levels of violence have fuelled disenchantment among Afghans, who already feel short-changed despite billions of dollars of aid money spent in their country. |