NATO Chief: Stalemate in Afghan South

NATO Chief: Stalemate in Afghan South

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 9, 2009 12:48:51 EST

U.S. troops can expect to keep deploying to Afghanistan for “at least” 10 more years, and perhaps decades, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Europe said Friday.

And while conditions in the eastern sector of Afghanistan are improving, Army Gen. John Craddock told defense reporters in Washington that a “security stalemate” exists in the restive south, where much of the nation’s illicit poppy crop is grown and where the Taliban insurgency is “very coherent.”

Craddock’s comments came the day after Gen. David Petraeus, chief of U.S. Central Command, said at a Washington, D.C., Institute for Peace seminar that for every accomplishment — such as agreement on a constitution, development of the Afghan national army and infrastructure improvements — there are setbacks, such as the regrouping of the Taliban and al-Qaida, “considerable corruption” and “numerous challenges” in developing government institutions.

“That will continue to be the case in 2009 and the years beyond,” Petraeus said, adding that the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan must be “sustained, comprehensive and coordinated.”

He also said that solving Afghanistan’s problems will require the cooperation of all the region’s countries — even Iran.

more...


http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/01/military_afghanistan_craddock_010909w/%2e