US seeks Broad Powers, Immunity for post-2014 Troops in Afghanistan (Lazare)

[unhappycamper]

http://www.juancole.com/2013/11/immunity-troops-afghanistan.html

US seeks Broad Powers, Immunity for post-2014 Troops in Afghanistan (Lazare)
Posted on 11/21/2013
by Juan Cole

Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Wednesday that a text had been agreed on between the US and the government of President Hamid Karzai concerning a post-2014 role for US troops in the country. It still has to be approved by a Loya Jirga, a gathering of 2000 notables and clan leaders. The details of the agreement have not been released publicly and won’t be until the Loya Jirga votes. Karzai’s government had wanted to included an “apology” from the US for its “mistakes” during the occupation of Afghanistan, but Kerry maintained that Karzai never brought it up in the final talks and said firmly it was not in the text nor would an apology be forthcoming.

~snip~

A draft text of the agreement dated July 25th, 2013, does not specify how many U.S. troops will be allowed to remain in Afghanistan, likely giving the U.S. unilateral power to determine this number. Furthermore, the document does not prohibit the U.S. from using Afghan territory to launch drone strikes against nearby Pakistan, The Washington Post points out.

The U.S. has framed the raids and continued troop presence as part of an ongoing special operations force to hunt down "terrorist" cells. “The Parties acknowledge that continued US military operations to defeat al-Qaeda and its affiliates may be appropriate and agree to continue their close cooperation and coordination toward that end,” the July 25th draft agreement states.

Yet critics charge that this is just occupation by another name. "The 'counter-insurgency' and paramilitary tactics employed in Afghanistan that require fewer ground forces are also being developed for use by armed forces and militarized police units all over the world, including in the U.S., making resistance to the U.S.'s latest strategy for global dominance imperative," said Heinz.