AFPAK Channel reports:
Over the weekend, at least 14 Afghan policemen and a district governor were killed in Taliban attacks in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, some of whom were possibly poisoned beforehand, and in Badakhshan province (AP, AFP, NYT, The News). Several coalition service members and Afghan civilians were killed in roadside bombings over the weekend in southern and eastern Afghanistan, and a NATO spokesman told reporters, "We are taking the oxygen out of the insurgency" (AP, AJE, Reuters). . .
At next week's international conference in Kabul, Hamid Karzai reportedly plans to ask for at least 50 percent of the nearly $13 billion pledged to Afghanistan over the next five years to be channeled through the Afghan government, in spite of rampant corruption (Reuters). . .
Afghanistan's security forces remain riddled with corruption, drug addiction, and Taliban infiltration, in addition to a flawed system for measuring their progress (Independent).
What appears to be happening is chaos. It is hard to see a sympathetic figure or group anywhere in Afghanistan. The NATO spokesman who was told to say that NATO is taking the oxygen away from the insurgency was exaggerating. Only time will tell what is to be, but President Obama has promised to withdraw fighting forces within about one year, and before you know it, there will be reports that the bitter winter is approaching and fighting will cease.
Are the Taliban going to be strangled for lack of oxygen within months?
Do you really want Hamid Karzai's government to get "at least" half the money going into Afghanistan for years? If so, perhaps you own shares in banks in Dubai or Switzerland.
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