Petraeus Finishes Rules for Afghan Transition

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Petraeus Finishes Rules for Afghan Transition

WASHINGTON — Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Afghanistan, has completed work on new guidelines for turning some security duties over to Afghan forces in the months ahead, calling for American and allied troops to step back gradually from areas as they are pacified rather than handing off the task all at once to local units, according to senior NATO and Pentagon officials.

The guidelines envision that while some troops would leave the country when their current areas were secured, others could be reassigned new missions within Afghanistan, giving General Petraeus flexibility in troop deployments as he confronts pressure from some allies and some Democrats in Washington to begin winding down the war next year.

The emphasis in his plan would be on shifting troops to train Afghan security forces to accelerate the pace at which local police officers and soldiers could successfully take over, allowing even more of the alliance force to depart. But some remaining foreign troops could move into areas near their current operations where militants remain active.

The security transition guidelines acknowledge that progress has been slow, and that Afghan forces are nowhere near ready to take over the mission across the country. One senior NATO military officer in Kabul said there actually were a few areas in which American forces had begun thinning out and moving to neighboring regions, especially in Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan, the focus of President Obama’s troop surge. But the officer acknowledged that areas showing such progress are few in number so far.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/world/asia/31military.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

[bemildred]

1. Is this some sort of feeble joke? nt