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Eugene

(61,900 posts) Sat Oct 19, 2013, 10:47 AM Oct 2013

Afghanistan Loya Jirga will determine whether US troops remain after 2014

Source: Associated Press

Associated Press in Kabul
theguardian.com, Saturday 19 October 2013 13.49 BST

A national meeting to discuss the fate of a future security deal with the United States will be held in the third week of November, Afghan officials said on Saturday. The key gathering will decide if America and its allies will keep troops in Afghanistan after 2014 or pack up and leave.

Sadeq Mudaber, a member of the convening commission, said the consultative assembly of tribal elders, or Loya Jirga, will start at some point between 19 and 21 November and could last as long as a week. He expected up to 3,000 people may attend.

A week ago, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and President Hamid Karzai reached an agreement in principle on the major elements of a deal that would allow American troops to stay after combat troops serving with a Nato-led international military coalition depart at the end of 2014. But in making the dal, Karzai said a potentially deal-breaking issue of jurisdiction over those forces must be debated by the Loya Jirga before he makes a decision.

"In our recent negotiations with the US, we also discussed another important topic, and it was the topic of immunity for US troops in Afghanistan," Karzai said Friday in his weekly radio address. "The decision in this respect is beyond the capacity of Afghan government, and only the Afghan people maintain the authority to decide on it, and the Loya Jirga reflects the will of the Afghan people."

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/19/afghanistan-loya-jirga-us-troops-2014

11 replies

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Highlight:

Afghanistan Loya Jirga will determine whether US troops remain after 2014 (Original Post) Eugene Oct 2013 OP

Please, elders, tell us to go away. n/t Comrade Grumpy Oct 2013 #1

A large part of me says we should leave, but then I remember Lurks Often Oct 2013 #2

The religious fundamentalists never left. Afghanistan is deeply conservative. Comrade Grumpy Oct 2013 #3

I'm aware they never left Lurks Often Oct 2013 #4

Cutting infant/child mortality in half geek tragedy Oct 2013 #8

Exactly, they never really left... JCMach1 Oct 2013 #10

Americans should get a say in this too. daleo Oct 2013 #5

Whatever is decided, troops will be over there until well after 2014 (possibly until 2024) hughee99 Oct 2013 #6

The people of the United States should decide if US troops remain in Afghanistan after 2014. avaistheone1 Oct 2013 #7

Frakkin tribal elders (all male by the way) get a say, JCMach1 Oct 2013 #9

They will hold out for Bribes warrant46 Oct 2013 #11

Comrade Grumpy

(13,184 posts)

1. Please, elders, tell us to go away. n/t

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2013, 12:22 PM

Oct 2013

Lurks Often

(5,455 posts)

2. A large part of me says we should leave, but then I remember

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2013, 12:27 PM

Oct 2013

the women and children who will suffer if the religious fundamentalists take over again.

Comrade Grumpy

(13,184 posts)

3. The religious fundamentalists never left. Afghanistan is deeply conservative.

Reply to Lurks Often (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 19, 2013, 03:07 PM

Oct 2013

Things are only marginally better now than under the Taliban. Change will come from within, from groups like the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), not from NATO.

Lurks Often

(5,455 posts)

4. I'm aware they never left

Reply to Comrade Grumpy (Reply #3)

Sat Oct 19, 2013, 03:14 PM

Oct 2013

but while we are there, there is some protection from the religious fundamentalists in some parts of the country. While I hope RAWA succeeds, sadly I suspect many will be killed and the women and female children of Afghanistan will go right back to the second class status position they've held for hundreds of years.

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

8. Cutting infant/child mortality in half

Reply to Comrade Grumpy (Reply #3)

Sun Oct 20, 2013, 07:03 PM

Oct 2013

is merely marginal improvement?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/30/afghanistan-life-expectancy-rising-survey

It showed that estimated life expectancy is up to between 62 and 64 years for both men and women. That compares with previous studies showing life expectancy from 47 to 50 – the latter figure reported by the WHO in 2009.
The survey also showed infant mortality had been cut in half in recent years, down to 97 deaths per 1,000 live births. It said one in 10 children in Afghanistan dies before they are five years old while previous surveys, carried out about five years ago, showed that one child in five died before reaching that age. The 2009 WHO study reported 199 deaths per 1,000 live births.

I guess the lives of Afghan children only matter if they provide an excuse to bash the US.