Those expecting the Obama Administration to follow through on their oft-promised July 2011 drawdown from Afghanistan are likely to be disappointed. With just two short months remaining, there is no decision imminent.
That was the news from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates today, following a meeting with his British counterpart Liam Fox. Gates insisted that not only was no decision made, but Gen. David Petraeus hasn’t even submitted his recommendations yet.
“I expect that will be coming in the not too distant future,” Gates insisted. The US has around 95,000-100,000 troops in Afghanistan, which is the vast majority of NATO’s overall war effort in the nation.
With violence already trending upward and April, 2011 already the deadliest April on record for the war, officials will likely have ample excuse to claim the situation is too bad to support the drawdown. This is in contrast to claims over the winter, when violence traditionally slows, that the war was going extremely well.
Eleven US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan Easter weekend from Friday, April 22, through Sunday, April 24. They were not unidentified "Nato" soldiers they were all US soldiers reported killed by the Department of Defense in the last three days. Why is this high rate of US casualties being ignored by Anti War once again?
Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary.
And Patraeus has done such a good job in Afghanistan that he should be rewarded with being the Head of the CIA? Give me a break. The departures of Gates should result in the infusion of fresh minds to the Department of Defence that can bring some hope for a brighter future. Panetta is not the man for the job.
Let's see if AntiWar has a follow up report when we find out the nationalities of these eight "Nato" soldiers killed in Kabul is revealed.
To ….! with Petraeus and rest of them.., these guys are professional solders and wars is in their blood, they live for it and they get paid for it to do just that. If it was up to them the US/NATO would have started the 3rd world war in Kosovo when they bombed the Chinese embassy and wanted to go further fighting the Russian army.., they were sent to Afghanistan to expend the US/NATO territory conquering Afghanistan and Iraq for more wars in the region and far beyond , it is up to government to stop a war and it is their responsibility to say yes or no.., unless the US democratic regime is based on the militarism making decision for the government.., where government saying is a secondhand thoughts and not a reality. Thus far this democratic elected president have done just that and started another war to please the war machinery.