Afghanistan close to anarchy, warns general

[IChing]

Nato commmander's views in stark contrast to ministers'
· Forces short of equipment and 'running out of time'

Richard Norton-Taylor
Friday July 21, 2006
The Guardian




The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan today described the situation in the country as "close to anarchy" with feuding foreign agencies and unethical private security companies compounding problems caused by local corruption.
The stark warning came from Lieutenant General David Richards, head of Nato's international security force in Afghanistan, who warned that western forces there were short of equipment and were "running out of time" if they were going to meet the expectations of the Afghan people.

The assumption within Nato countries had been that the environment in Afghanistan after the defeat of the Taliban in 2002 would be benign, Gen Richards said. "That is clearly not the case," he said today. He referred to disputes between tribes crossing the border with Pakistan, and divisions between religious and secular factions cynically manipulated by "anarcho-warlords".>>>>snip

http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,1826303,00.html?gusrc=rss

[uppityperson]

1. I am soooo glad that media is covering this.

total f*up all the way around.

[redqueen]

9. If only AMERICAN media would cover it...

grrrrrr

[Roland99]

2. Afghaniwhoo?

[Rex]

3. I can't decide what is the bigger intelligence failure

the fact that we didn't know the USSR was about to collapse or the lack of understanding for the cultures of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Taliban has made a comeback for Keerist sakes! Wake up!

[bullimiami]

5. the biggest intelligence failure is bush and anyone who listens to him.

the lack of compassion or humanity of those who surround him and have the capacity to understand is beyond comprehension.

[Spazito]

4. Okay, so we have the following...

Afghanistan close to anarchy, warns general

The vulnerable line of supply to US troops in Iraq

Israel massing troops on Lebanese border

Stay out of northern Iraq, US tells Turkey

They all have one thing in common, the "competent" foreign policies of the bush cabal. I have no doubt some of this is not bad news to them but, as the saying goes, "be careful what you ask for, you just might get it" and it NEVER resembles what you thought it would.

[bluerum]

6. No it's not - I just heard Newt say it's going great this morning on NPR.

His interview with Tom Ashbrook was disgusting. He is a fearmongering pig and I can't believe NPR gives these assholes air time.

[RufusEarl]

7. This caught my eye

How to eradicate opium poppies - an issue repeatedly highlighted by ministers - was a problem that could only be tackled later.

The CIA will never eradicate this crop, and that's the plan. This has been a CIA cash cow for years, and one reason the CIA wanted back in Afghanistan.

When are some of the smart people in this country going to stand up this mis-admin and point out just how badly Bu$h has screwed up this countries foreign policy?

[msongs]

8. been anarchy there for 10,000 years - what's new? nt

[IChing]

10. The news is ....this is from the nato commander taking lessons

from history.
So much for:

"Operation Enduring Freedom"

[Bush_MUST_Go]

11. To bush, nation building = chaos & anarchy. Next stop: Iran. All aboard.

[donkeyotay]

12. Yeppers. Get your warmongering here.

Murcans must be confusing all those futball games they've been watching with actual warfare. They're going all snarly again about goin and gettin some terrists, some eyerabs and, yet oddly, they also talk alot of housekeeping on television. They're always talking about "sweeping up, mopping up, cleaning out cells or pockets" benign stuff that doesn't actually admit to killing people, lots of people, most of them as innocent as any of the warmongers in this country.

President Bush, that POPULAR WARTIME PRESIDENT has hit himself another trifecta: Iraq. Afghanistan. Lebanon. Whole world's going to shit. Thank the deity we have such a competent administration to guide our country safely through.

Sooner or later something will happen and the television psych-ops will pull our itchy trigger finger and we'll be on our way to Newtie's orgasm: WWWIII. And for what? What do these stupid shits think they're accomplishing in this so-called war on terror? We have lost our minds.

[sweetheart]

13. "the drugs war is a failure, 'duuh' moment #880445942"

Lemme get this straight, the drugs laws create a huge illegal market for heroin that
is cheap on every city street in every western nation, a market where the only
successful competitors are those with a mind for risk and nothing to lose (the poor)
can compete in. So these poor farmers in asia are taking advantage of the rich-world
subsidy to opium growers, thank you very much stupid drugs warriors.