[NYTr] NATO Wary of Adding Troops in Afghanistan
ny...@olm.blythe-systems.com
The New York Times - Jan 26, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/world/asia/26cnd-afghan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
NATO Allies Wary of Adding Troops in Afghanistan
By HELENE COOPER
BRUSSELS, Jan. 26 Americas European allies remained noncommittal about
sending additional troops to Afghanistan today, even as the Bush
administration sought to inject new energy into the NATO mission against
the Taliban by offering more American soldiers and money.
Officially, the language at a NATO meeting here today reflected resolve and
commitment on Afghanistan. NATO is stepping up its game in Afghanistan on
all fronts, the alliances secretary general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer of the
Netherlands, said. The fact that you saw so many people from the
international community sitting around the table is a strong message
itself.
But beyond the sound bytes, the realities that have troubled the NATO
mission in Afghanistan since the 26-member trans-Atlantic alliance took
command last year remained on display. France and Germany continued to
limit their combat role; both countries have refused to deploy troops in
the south of the country, where Taliban forces are strongest. Germanys
Parliament has yet to approve a proposal to send six Tornado reconnaissance
jets to southern Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is battling allies in own
party and government who oppose the Afghan mission and want the government
to set a deadline for withdrawing the countrys 1,800 troops. While Mr.
Prodis government passed a decree today to renew financing for Italys
troops in Afghanistan, it did so without the support of all of Mr. Prodis
coalition partners, and Italian officials said it was unlikely that Mr.
Prodi could rally support for any increase in Italys Afghanistan troop
contribution.
The United States sought to lead by example, as Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, who called for the Brussels meeting in the hope of
spurring more action from the Europeans, told the assembled ministers that
President Bush will ask Congress for $10.6 billion in additional financial
assistance for Afghanistan.
In addition, Bush administration officials said that the Pentagon will
extend the Afghan tours of 3,200 American soldiers. Ms. Rice added that
beyond the extension of the tours, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will
further expand the number of American troops, partly through extra forces.
Every one of us must take a hard look at what more we can do to help the
Afghan people, Ms. Rice said, according to a State Department statement. We
need additional forces on the ground, ready to fight. And we need to
provide greater support for the development of Afghan institutions,
especially its security forces.
American officials say that Taliban fighters are mounting increasingly
brazen cross-border attacks from Pakistan and are preparing to resume
attacks in the spring, as they have done every year since the American
invasion deposed the Taliban in 2001. If there is to be a spring offensive,
it must be our offensive, she said. It must be a political campaign, an
economic campaign, a diplomatic campaign, and yes, a military campaign.
But that military campaign remains about 15 percent short of what American
and NATO commanders say they need on the ground to fight the Taliban.
The additional 3,200 American troops would bring the American force level
in Afghanistan to around 24,000. About half of those are part of the NATO
mission in Afghanistan, while the other half are engaged in American-led
counter-terrorism operations. An additional 20,000 soldiers from other NATO
countries are also deployed in Afghanistan.
Britain has the second largest contingent of soldiers in Afghanistan, with
6,000 troops.
NATO said on Friday that an alliance airstrike destroyed a Taliban command
post in southern Afghanistan, killing a suspected senior militant leader.
Also on Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the offices of an
aid group, wounding a policeman and two others.
American and NATO officials are now pinning their hopes for troop increases
on a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Seville, Spain, next month. Mr.
De Hoop Scheffer, the NATO secretary general, said that hes relatively
optimistic that more troops will be forthcoming.
Richard A Boucher, assistant U.S. secretary of state for South and Central
Asian affairs, said, Everybody understands that its vital that we achieve
our goals this year.
***
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
The New York Times - Jan 26, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/world/asia/26cnd-kabul.html
Afghan Lawmaker Is Killed in Shooting
By ABDUL WAHEED WAFA
KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 26 A member of Afghanistans Parliament was gunned
down while he was walking from his home to a mosque for Friday prayers,
officials said.
Maulvi Mohammad Islam Mohammadi, 67, was a member of the Parliaments lower
house who represented the northern province of Samangan. The reason for the
killing was not clear, and no one immediately claimed responsibility, but
there were concerns that it may have been politically motivated.
According to election law, when a member of Parliament dies, the candidate
who had the next-highest vote tally becomes the successor.
It is a danger signal for the Afghan members of Parliament if the political
competition causes the terror for the parliamentarians, said Fawzia Kofi,
the deputy speaker for the Parliament.
Mr. Mohammadi was a former Mujahedeen commander and a local cleric in north
of the country who fought against the Russians in 1980s. He later served as
the provincial governor of Bamian province during the Taliban rule when
large statues of Buddha were destroyed.
It was foreigners like Chechens and Arabs with the Taliban who made the
decision; they were crazy people, he told The Associated Press at the time,
referring the destruction of the statues. Even though I was governor, I had
no power, he said.
He is the second lawmaker from the lower house to be killed since the
establishment of the Afghan parliament in 2005; Esmatullah Muhabbat was
killed just after he won a seat in September 2005 during a factional fight
in the eastern province of Laghman.
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
*
================================================================
.NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems
. Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us .
.339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org
.List Archives: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
.Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
================================================================