The declassifed NIE report leaves out Afghanistan

[maddezmom]

~snip~

The intelligence community's assessment that the Iraq war has spawned new terrorism and inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment in the Muslim world buttressed opposition to the war in Congress as the critical Nov. 7 elections approach.

For reasons that aren't clear, the declassified summary doesn't mention Afghanistan, where the war against al-Qaida began five years ago, but where the Taliban have rebounded in parts of the country and reconstruction efforts have flagged.

link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003277428_intel27.html?syndication=rss

[maddezmom]

1. U.S. signals reaffirmation of Aghanistan's strategic importancePosted

U.S. signals reaffirmation of Aghanistan's strategic importance


KABUL, Afghanistan—In the midst of a mounting Taliban threat and a surge in suicide bombings, Afghanistan will soon be getting an American four-star general to lead U.S. and NATO forces in the country–a move that, senior defense officials said, signals a re-examination and reaffirmation of the country's strategic importance in the war on terror.

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak told U.S. News that the appointment of an American four-star comes as a relief because of concerns that Washington wanted to reduce the U.S. military involvement and hand off responsibility to NATO allies. "Once NATO was taking over, there were worries that the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan was diminishing," Wardak said, following a kebab dinner in Kabul Tuesday night with visiting U.S. Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey and several top commanders in the country. "We need more firepower, more tactical training. Now we're even more sure of the enduring American support." That, said Harvey, "was the intended result."

U.S. Army Gen. Dan McNeill, currently head of U.S. Army Forces Command, is slated to arrive in Kabul in February, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Such news comes at a pivotal time in the war. The Taliban's strength has been growing, acknowldged Wardak. "They have recently been coming in big numbers and confronted us in some sort of conventional way."

After suffering heavy casualties, he said he expects the Taliban to return to more unconventional attacks, such as using roadside bombs. Insurgent tactics used effectively in Iraq have migrated here, with suicide bombings up 300 percent this year, say senior defense officials.

more; http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060926/26afghan.htm

Former Afghan official warns nation needs help to survive
BY GARY ROBERTSON
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 27, 2006


A former interior minister of Afghanistan said his torn nation "the last battlefield of the Cold War and the first battlefield of the global war on terror" -- needs help.

The country needs more international help to rebuild and to fight terrorists, Ali Jalali said.

Jalali told a crowd of more than 80 attending a meeting of the World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond that if Afghanistan fails, that failure will have wide-ranging negative effects on NATO and on the region.

He noted that President Bush assured visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday that the United States will continue to support him.

Jalali acknowledged that a resurgent Taliban was creating havoc in the southern part of Afghanistan -- killing teachers and moderate religious leaders, and killing themselves with suicide missions.

more:http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190842302&path=!news&s=1045855934842