Afghan officials fear talk of exit strategy

[TomCADem]

Source: Associated Press

KABUL – Afghan officials hope President Barack Obama's address on Afghanistan won't be weighted too heavily on an exit strategy — even though that's the message many Americans and Democrats in Congress want to hear.

If he talks extensively in his speech Tuesday night about winding down the war, Afghans fear the Taliban will simply bide their time until the Americans abandon the country much as Washington did after the Soviets left 20 years ago. That move plunged the nation into civil war and paved the way for al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks.

Similarly, in neighboring Pakistan, too much talk of a finite U.S. troop presence gives commanders little reason to help fight Afghan militants — the very people they might eventually need to embrace as allies if the international community fails to secure Afghanistan and the Taliban retake Kabul.

From the Pakistani side of the volatile border, the fear is that a premature U.S. pullout would leave Pakistan vulnerable to an unchecked threat from Islamic extremists, who now control significant areas of the northwest.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_afghan_obama_speech

[tekisui]

1. I get the feeling it is going to be a 'durable withdrawal'.

Withdrawal 'possibilities' while guaranteeing support to those who are looking to us. In other words...and open-ended escalation.

[Cha]

2. Oh shite..What the heck can

he say?

[PSPS]

3. "paved the way for al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks"

If he talks extensively in his speech Tuesday night about winding down the war, Afghans fear the Taliban will simply bide their time until the Americans abandon the country much as Washington did after the Soviets left 20 years ago. That move plunged the nation into civil war and paved the way for al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks.

A new low even for the AP -- doing a "Cheney" by implying that if we ever leave Afgan-nam, we'll have "another 9/11."

[truedelphi]

5. Afgan-nam - That is a good call on a bad war. n/t

[earcandle]

4. interesting to hear a mouth piece for this drama to unfold for reasons that are strictly theatrical.

[Lasher]

6. It is no longer possible to have a premature US pullout from Afghanistan.

Unless you have a functional time machine.

[lapfog_1]

7. Afghan officials...

i.e. someone that would be toast about 5 days after we leave.

And the fact is, if we pull out, the "Islamic extremists" would leave Pakistan and move back into Afghanistan, with the full support of the ISI and Pakistani army, just like when "we" (the CIA) left some 20 years ago, right after the Soviets left.

Would Afghanistan become a new haven for Al Qaida? Good question. Maybe, but the Taliban isn't very happy with Al Qaida right now. Would we lose another generation of Afghans to the theocracy and backward teachings of the Taliban? Yup. Would Afghan women suffer horribly under their rule like before? Most assuredly.

Will India be unhappy because we left? probably.

But what's it worth to us?

The absolute best thing we could do is try to put the India/Pakistan genie back in the bottle by negotiating them to give up nukes (never been done, but it's worth a try). Because the real danger is Pakistan eventually falling to radical Islamic Theocracy like the Taliban. And handing a nuke warhead to someone like an Al Qaida (their successors in the Islamic terrorism world).

[thegoodfight]

8. Its funny how

the US exacerbated the problem of the Taliban and radicals and now they're suprised to here this, proof that terrorism has not shrunk, its 10 times BIGGER so the last fucking 9 years of senseless murder have been pointless...what can I say, you reap what you sow. The US needs to get out, the US should of never been there, ever.

[elocs]

9. Kids are also worried that mom and dad are looking for an exit strategy--from them.

If Afghans want their own country badly enough then they sure as damn hell better be willing to fight and die for it if we are arming and supplying them. Otherwise it will always be "just a little more time", "just a few more thousand troops", rinse and repeat. Afghans numerically outnumber both the Taliban and al Qaeda, so either they want their country or they don't. Time to grow up and do their own fighting.

[FarCenter]

10. The Taliban will bide their time in any case

They know that we'll eventually leave -- it's just a matter of when.

The "rope-a-dope" strategy works for them in either case.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. They'll bide their time, anyway.

:argh: