AP: U.N. May Have to Abandon Afghan Effort

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20031212/ap_on_re_as/afghan_un_warning

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United Nations (news - web sites) may be forced to abandon its two-year effort to stabilize Afghanistan (news - web sites) because of rising violence blamed on the resurgent Taliban, its top official here warned Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lakhdar Brahimi said his team could not continue its work unless security improves. He called for more foreign troops to halt attacks that have killed at least 11 aid workers across the south and east since March.


"Countries that are committed to supporting Afghanistan cannot kid themselves and cannot go on expecting us to work in unacceptable security conditions," Brahimi said.


"They seem to think that our presence is important here. Well, if they do, they have got to make sure that the conditions for us to be here are there," he said. "If not, we will go away."

more

[Maine-i-acs]

1. if only we hadn't invaded Iraq -

Then we could have plunked those 100,000 soldiers in pursuit of REAL terrorists, stabilized a grateful nation, captured Omar and maybe Osama, and retained our international standing.

Wishful thinking, but then again Shrub&co. never asked me first.

[underpants]

7. As in "first things first"?

I guess it depends on who you are and what your "first" is.

Really it shows a complete lack of understanding of the military.

[fishguy]

2. Afghnanistan should be called The Forgotten War II

Korean War, Forgotten War I

My favorite quote about Afghanistan comes from 1842, when a newly appointed British commander to the region started to tell the local Afghan warlord how things were going to be run.
The warlord started to laugh and said, "It was easy for you to get into this country, but how are you going to get out?"
Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Bush-Winner of the war, loser of the peace

[underpants]

5. Sadly already yes it probably is (great quote)

And Welcome to DU :hi:

[calimary]

9. Those who refuse to learn from history...

Of course, I guess you have to be willing to read it (or read ANYTHING, period!) before you can learn anything from it...

Sheesh.

Welcome to DU, though, fishguy!

[ninkasi]

3. This is yet another monumental

screw up which can be attributed to Bush and his mania for invading Iraq regardless of world opinion and common sense. He is without question the worst president the United States has ever had, and I was born when FDR was president, so I've seen a few in my day.

[Rose Siding]

4. The timing's interesting

Just after the With Us Or Against Us contract deals for Iraq.

[Maeve]

6. You mean we didn't win? But...but....

Dubya SAID we defeated the terraists! We won and all those nice little Afghan girls are in school and it's all fine! If there was still trouble, wouldn't it have been in all the papers and news shows???

I'm starting to run low on sarcasm--there is such a huge demand for it in dealing with the misAdministration...

[ajacobson]

8. LOL

Yeah, sarcasm is like seratonin, if your natural supply gets depleted, you feel pretty miserable.

Do you think somebody will start making sarcasm reuptake inhibitors?

(My apologies, I have a final exam in Psychology on Tuesday, I'm going psycho because of Psycho)