NATO chief asks change of approach in Afghanistan

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Brussels, Sep 24 (AFP) NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called today for a change of approach in Afghanistan, where international forces are bogged down fighting a Taliban-led insurgency.

"We need to do more in Afghanistan, but not just more of the same. We have to change. We have to transfer responsibility to the Afghans themselves," he said, in a video recorded in New York and posted on his website.

Rasmussen said the key was to beef up the Afghan army and police so that they could more quickly take over security tasks from the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.

"We need to transfer lead responsibility for security in Afghanistan to the Afghans themselves and therefore we should further develop the capacity of the Afghan security forces," he said.

He added "We need more trainers, we need money, to finance and increase the number of Afghan security forces.

read: http://www.ptinews.com/news/299092_NATO-chief-asks-change-of-approach-in-Afghanistan

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1. I can't get used to this unrec feature

I'm always curious why it appears (most times without any actual objections posted at all).

[Octafish]

2. Creating an Afghan Army under the current government isn't very likely.

Good on Rasmussen for bringing up a possible exit strategy, even if it's eight years too late.

IMO, it would take about 40 years -- two generations -- of legitimate political control of the nation by a democratically elected national government to bring about the conditions needed to build an effective Afghan army and national police. Currently, the nation is governed in name only by the corrupt puppets of War Inc. So, the people rally behind the principle alternative with guns to keep control through terror -- the Taliban. And they want nothing to do with democracy if it means respecting the rights of those who don't agree with them.

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3. 40+ years would be a good guess

I can see a possibility of establishing an interim security force under regional control, like under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with a minority of U.S. (training) forces participating.