New US Envoy: No Rush to Leave Afghanistan
Denies Plan for 'Permanent Bases'
Speaking today in his first comments after being sworn in, new US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker insisted that the US is in “no rush” to leave the country, which it has occupied militarily for nearly 10 years.
“We must proceed carefully,” Crocker insisted, “there will be no rush for the exits.” The Obama Administration announced a small drawdown of the number of troops in the country recent, but most of these troops are not expected to leave until shortly before the 2012 presidential election.
Crocker also criticized the US for not having a more active role in Afghanistan after the end of the Soviet occupation, insisting they would continue to have a role in the nation going forward.
At the same time, Crocker denied that the US has any plans for “permanent bases” in the country, despite the fact that the Karzai government has repeatedly confirmed ongoing talks for such bases.
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skulz fontaine
July 25th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Ryan Crocker also added, "the US has no plans for permanent bases in Afghaniscam but, I may be just moderately disingenuous here."
Max
July 25th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
The Romans weren't in any rush to leave the Teutoberg Forrest either.
Bruce Richardson
July 26th, 2011 at 5:09 am
Regards our burgeoning deficit, I have a suggestion. We spend nealry 2-billion a week occupying Afghanistan, may I be so brash as to suggest withdrawal? Afghanistan is a treasure trove of rare natural resources to include lithium, hydro-carbon and fossil fuels. We might trying a fair partnership (not as colonial sunbjects) to devolope those resources before China, Iran and Russia beat us to the punch, so to speak.
Such an approach would save countless lives, reudce hatred for America abroad, and perhaps correct our deficit problem. I may add that there is no charge for this sage advice.
NavyVietnamWarVet
July 26th, 2011 at 6:44 am
Throught its hostory, Afghanistan has well earned the reputation as being "the graveyard of soldiers and of empires" – I guess the US will remain in Afghnaistan until the empire totally collapses?
thedissenter
July 26th, 2011 at 11:56 am
No news here. I wonder how that pipeline is going.
Andron
July 26th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Don't you sometimes wonder if there will ever be a HONEST US Envoy in any country?
Maybe there are no HONEST government employees in any Department in the grand old US of A.
So sad.
Hunter0fPrey
July 27th, 2011 at 9:56 am
"but most of these troops are not expected to leave until shortly before the 2012 presidential election" All I can say is that I hope everyone remembers what a cheap hunk of change we got when Obama took office. Reading that sentence as a military spouse all I could think was "you motherf*&%#$"