.US troops to retreat from Taliban strongholds
A top US military officer in Afghanistan has ordered his commanders to pull troops out of areas where NATO fought bloody battles with the Taliban over the past months.
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said the move was because of the realization that the areas were not going to be brought under government control anytime soon, CBS News reported on Tuesday.
The Taliban strongholds reportedly include regions bordering Pakistan where insurgency has skyrocketed over the past months.
The occupation forces have recently suffered heavy losses in southern and eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban has stepped up attacks against coalition troops with roadside bombs and ambushes.
Senior Afghan officials have expressed concern over the move, saying any withdrawal from Taliban-held territories would only make the Kabul government appear even more powerless in the eyes of insurgents.
The developments come after a London-based policy research group said this week that the Taliban had a significant presence in almost every corner of Afghanistan, eight years after their overthrow by US-led forces.
A security map by the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) showed a deepening security crisis with substantial Taliban activity in at least 97 percent of the war-ravaged country.
The withdrawal comes after US-led forces in Afghanistan lost 77 troops in August, setting a new record. At least 334 foreign troops have been killed in the country in 2009, according to icasualties.org, which tracks coalition casualties.
PressTV
Looks like someones not waiting around, and is taking actions now. I'm starting to like this guy.
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said the move was because of the realization that the areas were not going to be brought under government control anytime soon, CBS News reported on Tuesday.
The Taliban strongholds reportedly include regions bordering Pakistan where insurgency has skyrocketed over the past months.
The occupation forces have recently suffered heavy losses in southern and eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban has stepped up attacks against coalition troops with roadside bombs and ambushes.
Senior Afghan officials have expressed concern over the move, saying any withdrawal from Taliban-held territories would only make the Kabul government appear even more powerless in the eyes of insurgents.
The developments come after a London-based policy research group said this week that the Taliban had a significant presence in almost every corner of Afghanistan, eight years after their overthrow by US-led forces.
A security map by the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) showed a deepening security crisis with substantial Taliban activity in at least 97 percent of the war-ravaged country.
The withdrawal comes after US-led forces in Afghanistan lost 77 troops in August, setting a new record. At least 334 foreign troops have been killed in the country in 2009, according to icasualties.org, which tracks coalition casualties.
PressTV
Looks like someones not waiting around, and is taking actions now. I'm starting to like this guy.
posted by madtom at 10:33 AM
2 Comments:
Again, that's the principled thing to do. If you aren't going to try to win it, and maybe you shouldn't, then quit asking men and women to sacrifice. Get them out of harm's way and then resign.
I'm keeping an eye on this story of a plane crash in Iran. Most reports are saying that a military plane that was at the tail end of a military parade to send off Ahmanutjob to the UN, crashed and burned killing 7. Iran denies it was part of the parade, but observers noticed that their only, Russian made AWACS, with a crew of 7, wasn't part of the parade that featured all the cool anti-aircraft hardware bought from Russia in recent years. If their AWACS crashed during a a parade, I gotta wonder what part the Russians are really playing in the whole deal. They may be playing Iran for fools and showing just how much they really can control events. If I were Iran I'd be looking real close at those Russian reactor parts and AA missile systems....
I passed over the plane story, it didn't tickle me, I just figured it crashed...if you do see anything juicy remember to post a link..
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