US uncertain about Afghanistan pullout

US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/159911.html


The top US military official has cast doubts about the time of a withdrawal from Afghanistan and the number of American forces to leave the violence-wracked nation.

The head of the Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen reiterated that the Pentagon does not know how many soldiers will be pulled out in July and predicted a rise in violence throughout the year.

“As difficult as it may be to accept, we must prepare ourselves for more violence and more casualties in coming months. The violence will be worse in 2011 than it was in 2010 in many parts of Afghanistan,” AFP quoted Mullen as saying on Wednesday.

The US military chief stated that the drawdown would depend on the level of Afghan security forces' readiness in taking control.

He pointed out the “fragile gains” the US-led NATO forces have made in the country but did not fail to claim that the Taliban were losing the war especially in dangerous areas like the Kandahar province.

On Tuesday, US Vice President Joe Biden said Washington will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in the previously announced deadline of 2014, if Kabul does not want it to do so.

Biden's remarks are contradictory to an earlier pledge by President Barack Obama for a major drawdown of troops from the war-ravaged country by July 2011.

In 2001, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of wiping the country off terrorism. However, the US-led occupation of Afghanistan has failed to establish security in the country .

Violence and terror attacks remain commonplace almost a decade after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Statistics indicate that 2010 was the deadliest year for both the civilians and the foreign troops fighting in the country.

US challenges Karzai on security firms

Private security firms, competing for contracts
worth billions of dollars, have long been regarded
as a major irritant by Afghans.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138233§ionid=3510203


The Pentagon has played down Afghan President Hamid Karzai's call to shut down foreign private security firms operating in his country.

Pentagon Spokesman Colonel David Lapan said Tuesday that even though Washington acknowledges that there are problems with the firms, the issue must be addressed in a way that also meets US security requirements.

"There are security needs that we have, that our forces have … so we want to make sure that we are addressing the Afghan government's concerns but meeting our requirements as well," said Lapan, quoted by AFP.

This follows an earlier statement by Karzai's office that his government is "serious" about getting rid of foreign private security firms.

The statement added that the issue had been discussed with NATO leaders over the past few days and a deadline would soon be set for the withdrawal of such companies.

Private security companies, competing for contracts worth billions of dollars, have long been regarded as a major irritant by Afghans following a series of scandals involving the killing of civilians.

Reports say that these companies have deployed an estimated 40,000 armed personnel throughout Afghanistan -- most of whom work for Western enterprises.

Most Afghans see these private firms as accumulators of wealth and power with no interest in the security for Afghanistan. They are also widely reported to be overbearing and abusive, notably on the country's roads.