McChrystal: Offer Taliban Chance to End Fight

[unhappycamper]

McChrystal: Offer Taliban Chance to End Fight
December 02, 2009
Associated Press

KABUL - The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday that the Afghan government and its international partners should use the coming 18 months to convince the Taliban they can't win and offer militants a way to quit the insurgency "with dignity."

Gen. Stanley McChrystal made the call after President Barack Obama announced he was sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to the unpopular war. If conditions are right, Obama said American troops could begin leaving Afghanistan in 18 months.

The Afghan government welcomed Obama's announcement but cautioned against setting a deadline for handing over security to Afghan forces and starting to withdraw.

In a statement, the Taliban said Obama's plan was "no solution for the problems of Afghanistan" and would give the insurgents an opportunity "to increase their attacks and shake the American economy which is already facing crisis."

Reaction among Afghans and U.S. soldiers was mixed, with many wondering whether the Afghan government can meet the challenges of fighting both corruption and the insurgents and whether the surge means more Afghan civilians will die.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/mcchrystal-offer-taliban-chance-to-end-fight.html?col=1186032310810

[kenny blankenship]

1. It's not when troops "begin" to leave Afghanistan that should interest us

it's when they actually finish leaving that matters. "Begin to leave" is a nice fudge and the purveyors of it can go fudge themselves.

[aquart]

3. Well, it looks like chocolate fudge, but I wouldn't eat it.

[Loge23]

2. This is so nuts.

Is this guy kidding? Let them surrender with dignity? This is totally insane on several levels.
And why do we keep trying to create uber-hero's out of generals in this country anyway?
They are paid to win wars (which may help to explain his bizarre theory), btw - not set policy.
So McCrystal thinks they will lay down their guns and simply walk off into the sunset? Nuts.

[timtom]

4. Taliban???

I thought we were after al Qaeda!