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Is America rushing to leave Afghanistan?
Well, look, Christiane, this is Afghanistan
Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, appeared on Amanpour today, just hours after President Obama’s surprise visit to Afghanistan and in the immediate aftermath of an insurgent attack on the capital.
Ambassador Crocker responded to reports that a security breach some hours before the President’s plane touched down at Bagram Airfield might have come from inside Afghanistan itself, potentially compromising Mr. Obama’s security.
“The leak, such as it was, was incorrect,” said Ambassador Crocker, “and our collective judgment was that it did not propose a sufficient threat to the president.”
However, he did acknowledge that “there is always a risk.”
In a memorable phrase, he seemed to encapsulate the years of American involvement since 2001: “Well, look, Christiane, this is Afghanistan.”
Ambassador Crocker also addressed the suicide bombing in the heart of Kabul that occurred just after President Obama flew home to Washington. While admitting all the facts aren’t in, he didn’t think the attack was timed with the President’s visit.
“We looked at all aspects of that,” he said. “Everybody was comfortable. It went precisely according to schedule. We regret the loss of innocent Afghan lives. But overall, Kabul is a pretty normal, pretty secure city.”
You can’t kill your way out of an insurgency
Ambassador Crocker then turned to the president’s speech to the American people last night. He reiterated the president’s call to eliminate safe havens for terrorists across the border in Pakistan.
“I am hopeful,” said Crocker, “that the enduring strategic partnership agreement we’ve just signed with Afghanistan is also going to be reassuring to the Pakistanis.”
Crocker added, “They are suffering as much from terrorism in the tribal areas as we and the Afghans are…The Pakistanis are going to have find some way to subdue those safe havens for their sake as well as for that of Afghanistan and the international presence here.”
He then spoke of the status of negotiations with the Taliban.
“I learned this in Iraq: You really can’t kill your way out of an insurgency. Eventually there has to be a political settlement.”
The far future in Afghanistan is about a week from Friday
Ambassador Crocker was asked if Afghan opposition to drone attacks into Pakistan would hamper the U.S.’s ability to conduct counter-terrorism against militants there.
“There’s nothing in the agreement that restricts the inherent right of self-defense of either party (the U.S. and Afghanistan),” said Crocker.
But he preferred not to look into the future. “2014 is a long way off,” he said. “My definition, frankly, is that the far future in Afghanistan is about a week from Friday.”
He added, “The one thing that can really defeat us here is ourselves. If we decide we’re tired, we don’t want to do this anymore, that we’re just going to pull the troops and we’re going to go home before the Afghans are fully capable of assuring their own security, then we can lose this.”
@camanpour on Twitter
Obama is negotiating with terrorists. Right after he leaves the blow up children. Good job Obama.
The Afghan War had no valid reasons. A war without valid reasons is a criminal act. The German leader involved WW2 were put on trial and were treated as criminals. Should the USA treat themselves differently form the way they treated the Germans? To justify the war the US split the Afghan people into 2 parts: The government installed by the USA and its supporters, whom they call "the Afghan People" and those who are fighting against the US invasion, whom they call "the Insurgents". And all the instability and insecurity by which the USG are justifying their "presence" in Afghanistan is the result of their presence. Once the US withdraw, the Afghan People (the ones fighting the US forces and the installed by them government) will establish a government of their own choice and put an end to "instability and insecurity". One might like or dislike Vietnam, but it is stable and secure. Once the US withdrew, the Vietnamese People established the stability and security, which the US presence could not provide.
But, of course, there is an elections campaign in the US, and this is what is driving the USG policies.
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