France wants Europe to lift Afghan troop restrictions
Thursday, September 18, 2008
CANBERRA: France on Wednesday asked its European allies to relax restrictions on troop deployment and operations in Afghanistan just a month after losing 10 soldiers in a Taliban ambush.
Limits on troop operations and years of military underspending in Europe outside the United Kingdom and France were damaging the coalition war effort, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on a visit to Australia. “Most of Europe has made NATO responsible for their security. Therefore, the weakness of Europe is typified by what you see in Afghanistan,” Morin told journalists.
NATO has struggled to get major nations to contribute more to its Afghan force, and as the death toll rises the challenge only gets greater. Last month was the deadliest for foreign troops since the conflict began, according to independent website icasualties.org. Forty-three troops were killed, including the 10 French soldiers hit in a single Taliban ambush.
Many NATO countries with troops in Afghanistan have “national caveats” that restrict how their troops may be used, limiting their flexibility. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates last year compared the problem to a chess game in which one side enjoyed full freedom of movement and the other could only move a single space in a single direction.
Australia and the United States, both close allies, have been critical of European countries for not doing enough to combat the Taliban in their mountain havens. Australia, an original member of the U.S-led coalition that arrived in 2001 to topple the Taliban, still has around 1,000 troops in the restive Oruzgan province, including special forces.
Morin said “not a cigarette paper in width” separated his own views from those of his Australian counterpart Joel Fitzgibbon after 10 French troops were killed and 21 wounded by the Taliban on August 18. “We share the point of view that the effectiveness of the forces in place in Afghanistan depends very heavily on the conditions that are applied for their use. Caveats prevent the best possible application of the forces,” he said.
Morin said he and Fitzgibbon, and German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung, hoped to visit Afghanistan in December to inspect security for themselves
US to work with Pakistan against Taliban sanctuaries’
Thursday, September 18, 2008
KABUL: Washington will work with Islamabad to address the problem of Taliban safe havens in the Tribal Areas, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters at the Bagram Air Base, Gates said he was encouraged by recent Pakistani military operations against the Taliban. Gates voiced “sincere condolences ... over the recent loss of innocent lives in coalition airstrikes”, and announced a joint probe with Afghanistan into civilian deaths in a recent airstrike.
NATO commander for joint terror war strategy
Thursday, September 18, 2008
LAHORE: All the concerned parties should adopt a joint strategy in the war on terror, Afghanistan NATO chief David McKiernan said on Wednesday. McKiernan met Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Tariq Majeed and Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani at the Rawalpindi GHQ. According to ARY One World, the Pakistani officials informed McKiernan of Pakistan’s concerns about cross-border attacks by US-led forces. McKiernan said NATO forces were not mandated to operate inside Pakistan. daily times monitor
US sees signs of Al Qaeda in attack
Thursday, September 18, 2008
WASHINGTON: Explosions outside the US embassy in Yemen bear “all the hallmarks” of an Al Qaeda attack, the US State Department said on Wednesday, but did not blame a particular organisation for the attack. “After talking to the security personnel, the attack bears all the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda attack where you have multiple vehicle-borne devices,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack when asked which group was suspected in the attack. Yemen, the ancestral home of Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, has grappled with a spate of Al Qaeda attacks this year. An Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility in March for a mortar attack that missed the US embassy but wounded 13 girls at a nearby school
Gilani and Zardari discuss missile attack
Thursday, September 18, 2008
LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met President Asif Ali Zardari at the President’s House on Wednesday and discussed a missile attack by suspected United States drones on Angoor Adda. According to Dawn News, Gilani briefed the president about his meeting with US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen and US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson. According to the channel, the prime minister is expected to make a policy statement on the cross-border incursions into Pakistan on Thursday. Gilani condemned the latest attack by the US-led coalition forces that left six people dead
Source : Daily Times