World Leaders Give Afghan Security Forces 5 Years to Take Control

As Gen. David Petraeus prepares to try and save a troubled war effort in Afghanistan, the world's eight top industrial democracies on Saturday set a timeline of five years for security forces there to "assume increasing responsibility."

The countries -- the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia -- said in a joint statement that a conference in Kabul in July would be an important setting for assessing progress in implementing commitments made in January to train more than 100,000 additional Afghan security forces by the end of next year.

The G-8 leaders said it was important to accelerate efforts to make sure the country's own security forces can "assume increasing responsibility within five years."

McCrystal and Pretraeus played chess while Obama/Biden and their top Civ aides, Complete fools, both (Eikenberry & Holbrooke)were playing checkers......Gen. Pretraeus is now positioned to set the complete agenda with Stan (and Pak) going forward. Or control at least 90% of the direction. Obama cannot afford to be seen as losing the support of Pretraeus, at all, with the rest of the Military and more importantly with the public.

Mil HQs across the board know this WH does not have its heart in this fight....Be that Stan or GWOT. But they are together nonetheless for the next 2 1/2 years and have to make do. With The Obama Admin continually talking "pull out dates"....There was no way for McCrystal's plan to be accomplished ...So McCrystal basically called Obama out.

He was either going to keep McCrystal in charge and have his Admin shut up on pull out dates and loosen ROEs, (ROEs on the conventional guys...Understand, SOF ROEs remained whatever they deemed neccessary)....or Obama was going to fire him and have him replaced...(thus with that, the Military would get the same result it needed, as a new General would be in a much more powerful position to call the shots over Obama with regards to what needs to happen on the ground in Stan). That is exactly what has happened with Pretraeus these past couple days...

Not exactly a bad move on Obama's part, either. Pull out in a year and things immediately go to pieces and on his watch. Now he can blame the "delay" on the other leaders and the need for consensus while kicking the problem down the road to the next administration.

Don't think the pres__ent wasn't looking for a way out of the promises forced on him by his base. Perhaps based on Yon's assessment of McChrystal, Obama knew he could throw in a journalist from a friendly media outlet and the frat boys would trip themselves up in no time at all. And that's just what they did.

Unlike Iraq, Aftcrapistan will most likely continue to be a tribal based culture for years, if not decades. They have no interest in joining the world community.

Kinda reminds me of pre-Columbus native americans. They fought and killed and raped and plundered each other long before the bad Europeans set foot on this continent. Also, reminds me of the tribal British Isles who fought and killed and raped and plunder during its early years after the Roman Empire fell. And so it goes throughout history.

However, most every culture/nation has long since become civilized. Aftcrapistan seems to have a particular problem with growing up. As long as they remain tribal, there is no hope. If we left tomorrow, they would resort back to shooting women in soccor stadiums within months.

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