US envoy to Afghanistan warns against troop surge
Friday, 13 November 2009
WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (AFP): The US envoy to Afghanistan has warned against sending thousands more troops to the country as President Barack Obama weights strategy options in the eight-year conflict, reports said Thursday.
The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, a retired army general who commanded US forces in Afghanistan from 2005-2007, detailed his concerns in classified cables last week.
Eikenberry also expressed worries about the behavior of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was re-elected to a five year term in August polls tainted by widespread fraud, the Post said.
The ambassador sent his strongly worded correspondence as Obama weighs his options on what to do about a growing Taliban insurgency that has put at risk an eight-year US-led effort to pacify the country.
The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, a retired army general who commanded US forces in Afghanistan from 2005-2007, detailed his concerns in classified cables last week.
Eikenberry also expressed worries about the behavior of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was re-elected to a five year term in August polls tainted by widespread fraud, the Post said.
The ambassador sent his strongly worded correspondence as Obama weighs his options on what to do about a growing Taliban insurgency that has put at risk an eight-year US-led effort to pacify the country.