time to go: Gen. Petraeus runs into resistance from Karzai over village defense forces

[spanone]

KABUL -- As he takes charge of the war effort in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus has met sharp resistance from President Hamid Karzai to an American plan to assist Afghan villagers in fighting the Taliban on their own.

A first meeting last week between the new commander and the Afghan president turned tense after Karzai renewed his objections to the plan, according to U.S. officials. The idea of recruiting villagers into local defense programs is a key part of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, and Karzai's stance poses an early challenge to Petraeus as he tries to fashion a collaborative relationship with the Afghan leader.

Senior U.S. officials say that the United States would like to expand the program to about two dozen sites across Afghanistan, double the current number, and are hoping to overcome Karzai's concerns. But the issue is delicate to many who fear that such experiments could lead Afghanistan further into warlordism and out-of-control militias.

The U.S. initiative was developed under Petraeus's predecessor, ousted Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, although Petraeus has been a strong supporter of such programs. When Petraeus commanded the Iraq war, U.S. forces partnered with tens of thousands of civilian guards, including former insurgents, who fought against the group al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Despite his tensions with other U.S. officials, McChrystal formed a close working relationship with Karzai. The question of whether Petraeus can replicate that bond remains a significant uncertainty hanging over the war effort.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070905599_pf.html

[msongs]

1. Karzai better not argue or he will have to fill out a gays in the military questionaire nt

[kenny blankenship]

2. Handing out automatic weapons to all and sundry in Afghanistan is exporting the American Dream

Yeah, that's a good idea! Now it's true that it's a bit like carrying coals to Newcastle, or carrying heroin to...um.. to Afghanistan, but awkward similes aside it seems like the one thing those people don't need is additional means to carry out their turf battles, feuds and grudges.

I guess it's never too early to start sowing the seeds of the next war?