While French troops had left the military-run country last year, the last U.S. troops are also expected to imminently depart the country, with Russian troops already on site to take their place after creating a presence in Mali and Burkina Faso, also taken over by the military.
‘Within the White House, Obama would argue that “dropping bombs on someone to prove that you’re willing to drop bombs on someone is just about the worst reason to use force.”’
The news of Brigadier Sarfraz Ali assuming command of the 111 Brigade came amid a showdown between the political leadership and the powerful military. The 111 Brigade is has been frequently involved in military coup d’etats, The News International reported.
“We’re losing Afghan civilians, Afghan soldiers, and we’re losing American soldiers because of the Haqqani network. And the link between the Pakistan military and specifically the ISI, their intelligence agency, is very well-known. And I have argued for the need to sever this link,” Mullen said.
President Asif Ali Zardari said that Pakistan valued its close bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia as ISI chief Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha left for that country Monday amid strained ties between Islamabad and Washington.
Pakistan has been an unreliable ally of the US in the war against terror and failed “on occasion” when forced to choose between Washington and the Al Qaeda, says US Vice President Joe Biden.
In a verdict that “disappointed” India, a US jury cleared Pakistan-born Canadian Tahawwur Rana of charges that he helped with the 26/11 Mumbai attack but convicted him of supporting the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Islamist militant group New Delhi blames for the carnage.
“We recently received a written request from the government of Pakistan to reduce the number of US military personnel here, and we have nearly completed that reduction,” Vice Admiral Michael LeFever, chief of the Office of the Defense Representative-Pakistan, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
US President Barack Obama cited the Libyan government’s ‘continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people and outrageous threats’.
What would be the objectives achieved by the US and it’s allies in Afghanistan? Will the departure of the US and its allies leave the region safer than before the US invaded Afghanistan? Would the Afghan people have hope left for a fair go; an even chance?
Does President Barack Obama’s ‘finishing the job’ mean the same thing as staying the course in Afghanistan, as urged by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?
The commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan has, in his assessment to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, said that ‘increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan is likely to exacerbate regional tensions’. General Stanley McChrystal, while promising a new ISAF strategy, also points out the need for additional forces, calling the next year critical.
The Indian Army has catered for the contingency by earmarking the 18 Infantry Division (RAPID) of the X Corps for deployment if the need arises. But there are problems with geopolitics, logistics, finance and Indian Army strength levels.
