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Afghanistan: Escalation and Calls for Escalation |
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The headlines on Afghanistan are full of stories about escalation and calls for escalation in Afghanistan:
General David McKiernan wants as many as 20,000 more US troops in Afghanistan, especially to serve in offensives in the south, though he does favor the idea of Karzai’s government negotiating with insurgents. He compares his own ideas about working with tribal leaders to the Awakenings in Iraq, but does not support arming tribal groups.
In eastern Afghanistan, McKiernan said offensives against the Taliban will continue, meaning soldiers receive little rest. This is serious - Admiral Mike Mullen of the Joint Chiefs says troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are under “extraordinary” stress.
Meanwhile, strikes inside Pakistan continue. US military spokesmen went on the record today to discuss an artillery strike that took place near the border on Sunday, apparently with Pakistan’s cooperation. So far so good, right - except that General Kayani, head of Pakistan’s military, has told NATO that he does not believe the border can be sealed with force. He also supports outreach to tribal groups.
Here’s my question - if everybody, that is British, American, and Pakistani military leaders, as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai, all agree that there is no purely military solution, when can we start figuring out how to get out, instead of how to get in deeper?
We need to figure out how to bring the Taliban to the table, and how to kill the top Al Qaeda targets, and then I think we should wrap it up and get out.
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