Posted on 10/26/2009 5:22:32 AM PDT by markomalley
BRATISLAVA - Corruption, doubts over Afghan leadership and faltering public support have emerged as the main stumbling blocks to a demand for more North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops in Afghanistan.
NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, had wanted NATO defense ministers meeting in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava on Thursday and Friday last week to agree to raise troop numbers in Afghanistan. The United States and NATO troops commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has asked for 40,000 more troops.
Rasmussen made energetic appeals to NATO states to endorse the general's plan, which also calls for a shift in strategy to do more to protect the Afghan population, and to train local forces and police.
At the end of the meeting, Rasmussen said defense ministers had given their broad support for the McChrystal report. But it was clear that there would be no commitment from most European countries to send more troops while doubts remain over Afghan President Hamid Karzai's regime.
(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...
Nato plays a waiting game while the bad guys don’t. Wonder how that is going to work out.
With Obama dithering, who can blame them?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.