Afghan commanders show new defiance in dealings with Americans
To Afghan leaders, the decisions made by their commanders reflect growing Afghan autonomy from Western forces as NATO draws down, and prove that Afghan forces are willing to exercise more caution than foreign troops when civilian lives are at stake.
“In the last two months, 14 to 16 [night] operations have been rejected by the Afghans,” said Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, the top Afghan army officer. “The U.S. has said, ‘This operation better be conducted. It’s a high-value target.’ Then my people said, ‘It’s a high-value target. I agree with you. But there are so many civilian children and women [in the area].’ ”
Many of the rejected night operations are later conducted once civilians are no longer in the vicinity of the targets, Karimi said…
But the resistance to American guidance on night operations represents the clearest indication to date that Afghan military commanders are heeding a directive from President Hamid Karzai last month. Just a day after signing a 10-year bilateral agreement with the United States, Karzai said Afghan soldiers should discard questionable information provided by the U.S. military.
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They now neither fear nor respect the US.
derecho on May 11, 2012 at 5:23 PM
That high value target, would butcher your wives and children like cattle given half a chance.
Idiots.
Rebar on May 11, 2012 at 5:24 PM
Is that how they’re spinning Afghan soldiers shooting Americans?
Vera on May 11, 2012 at 5:25 PM
Well feck ‘em
WeekendAtBernankes on May 11, 2012 at 5:34 PM
personally i don’t care what the “afghan commanders” or Karzai thinks, we are being fleeced for hundreds of billions of dollars annually in order to prop up a Islamic state with corrupt thieving leadership. That’s right, Islamic state, islamic law is in their constitution, there is no difference between the current Afghan govt and the taliban, it’s just a question of how much money they steal from us, once we leave, they will be just the same as the taliban.
the solution?, no more nation building, no more financial and military aid, complete withdrawal of ground forces, carve out a large area just for the USA, and make that a drone base, and then bomb them and pakistan into oblivion, it worked for the germans and japanese, it’ll take them longer to understand that reality, but at some point they will understand, if not i’ll live with it
golembythehudson on May 11, 2012 at 5:34 PM
The 100% stick solution. I’m for it.
Oil Can on May 11, 2012 at 5:36 PM
Past time to get out of that sh*thole.
sage0925 on May 11, 2012 at 5:39 PM
I like the idea, but I’d skip the drones and use B52s instead.
Rebar on May 11, 2012 at 5:43 PM
For those of you who keep saying we need to get out of Afghanistan this is a good sign that we are not only drawing down our forces but are handing over security to the Afghans.
An agreement was reached giving the Taliban a share in dollars for every cubic foot of gas that goes through the TAPI pipe line.
The payments are for SECURITY so that nothing happens to the Pipe line. The Taliban then divide it up between the tribal leaders. It’s very similar to the agreement NATO has in paying the Taliban for SECURITY of its supply convoys.
The only difference is that the US agrees to draw down its troops but is allowed to claim victory while it does so with an agreement that it will continue to maintain the basses that are COMPLETELY IDENTICAL to the route of the pipeline and placed EXACTLY where the pumping stations are going up with only minimal forces, mostly advisers, to train and facilitate thus keeping Bush’s original goal of securing the TAPI pipe line in place while claiming the war is over.
JustTheFacts on May 11, 2012 at 7:29 PM