Afghan Police: More Foreign Troops Not the Answer

[tekisui]

Source: The Lompoc Record

Police officials from some of Afghanistan's most violent regions questioned the need for more American troops, saying Monday it would increase the perception the U.S. is an occupying power and the money would be better spent on local forces.

The police were responding to an assessment from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, that warned the war was getting worse and could be lost without more troops.

President Barack Obama earlier this year approved sending 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total number of U.S. forces to 68,000 by the end of 2009. McChrystal is expected to ask for more troops in coming weeks, but increasing the number risks alienating Afghans, the police officials said.

The officials come from some of the provinces where the militant threat is the strongest and where international soldiers and Afghans alike have struggled for years to keep the peace. Their reluctance to add troops is striking because of their broad experience already against the Taliban.

"It is very hard for local people to accept any foreigners who come to our country and say they are fighting for our freedom," said Gen. Azizudin Wardak, the police chief in Paktia province. "To give the idea that they are not invaders, that they are not occupiers, is very difficult."

Mohammad Pashtun, the chief of the criminal investigation unit in southern Kandahar province, the Taliban's heartland, said that the money would be better off going to Afghan forces.

"Increasing international troops is not useful," he said. "For the expense of one American soldier, we can pay for 15 Afghan soldiers or police."

more: http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2009/09/21/ap/headlines/as_afghanistan.txt

[maxsolomon]

1. no win situation

we stay, we're occupiers.

we leave, we concede the country back to the taliban and codemn afghani women to generations of medieval misogyny and patriarchal oppression.

is there any way to prevent the taliban from harboring OBL et al again? probably not.

thanks again for playing into OBL's hands, Bush.

[lordcommander]

2. +1 nt