NATO Civilian Chief: Afghan Toll Will Rise in 2010
International Forces Face 'Very Challenging Year'
NATO’s newly appointed civilian chief for Afghanistan, British envoy Mark Sedwill, today conceded that 2010 would see “many more casualties” and “an awful lot of violence.”
Sedwell also expressed hope that the year would mark a “turning point” for the conflict, though he conceded that the troops would probably remain in Afghanistan for “a decade or more” and even after that NATO would be funding development in the nation for up to 40 years.
Sedwell was appointed to his new position last week, following a tenure as British Ambassador to Afghanistan. The position was newly created, aiming at focusing on civilian development in Afghanistan, something which has largely been ineffective since the 2001 invasion.
Britain has pledged to take a growing role in Afghanistan, helping the US with efforts to recruit NATO member nations to escalate their own commitments. Shadow Defense Secretary Liam Fox today suggested that when the conservatives take power in the next election (which analysts consider all but certain), they will push to “reform” NATO, forcing member nations to either commit more troops to the war or provide cash payments to the nations who are.
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Anonymous
February 1st, 2010 at 6:30 am
[...] Profil Private Nachrichten verschicken NATO Civilian Chief: Afghan Toll Will Rise in NATO Civilian Chief: Afghan Toll Will Rise in 2010 — News from Antiwar.com Wie nett, die NATO bereitet die Menschen darauf vor, das es dieses Jahr mehr Terroropfer in [...]
MoT
February 1st, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Sad. Billions spent and countless civilians dead and for what? Never mind nothing since 2001 has really "improved" except the body count has gone up.
Blog round up « Rosa's Ghost
February 1st, 2010 at 8:45 am
[...] AntiWar.com: NATO Chief concedes there will be “many more” Afghan civilian casualties in 2010. [...]
Henry_Clemens
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:32 am
""Sedwell also expressed hope that the year would mark a “turning point” for the conflict, though he conceded that the troops would probably remain in Afghanistan for “a decade or more” and even after that NATO would be funding development in the nation for up to 40 years."" No, that will not happen Mr. Sedwell. At the rate the American and European political-banking-military-corporate establishments are running the American and European economies into the ground, it will be impossible to sustain the imperialistic war in Afghanistan for that long a time period. Don't you get it Mr. Sedwell? The Fed and the European central banks are on the brink of bankrupting America and Europe with your bloody and brutal wars of imperialism.
J W McSherry
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Step one is to make America free of need for foreign oil. This lesson has not been learned period. If fact's are right under Carter we imported 42% of our oil. Now did we learn from the embrgo well America now is reported to imfort just over 70%. People need to work at evey level to find other means of power. Wind solar hydro to name just 3. Just this we will have no choise but to go to war as long as we need OUR OIL UNDER THEIR SAND sad isn't it