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British Afghan Envoy Takes Time Off Amid Signs Of NATO Frictions

22.06.2010 11:52

Britain says its special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Sherard Cowper-Coles, will take leave over an extended summer break.

The announcement came amid a series of blows to the international effort in Afghanistan -- with 10 foreign troops killed in a single day, an apology from NATO's top general in Afghanistan over a magazine article, and a report that the U.S. military is indirectly funding the Afghan insurgency through its outsourcing of security on the supply chain.

Britain's Foreign Office declined to say why Cowper-Coles was leaving, or to what role he will return. But Cowper-Coles has advocated that militant groups in Afghanistan need to be included in discussions about the future direction of the country. The diplomat is reported to have had serious disagreements with senior NATO and U.S. officials over his approach.

News of his departure came as 10 foreign troops were reported killed in a series of militant attacks and a helicopter crash.

Reports said the June 21 deaths, including five U.S. soldiers, three Australians, and one Canadian, take to 65 the number of NATO soldiers reported killed this month in Afghanistan, and to 285 the number killed so far this year.

It was the second time this month that 10 service members have been killed in a single day.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the 300th British fatality in Afghanistan since operations began in late 2001. The soldier died in a hospital in Britain on June 20 after being injured in a blast in the southern province of Helmand earlier this month.

The news prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to pledge to withdraw troops as soon as Afghanistan can handle its own security.

"We are paying a high price for keeping our country safe, for making our world a safer place, and we should keep asking why we're there and how long we must be there," Cameron said. "And the truth is that we're there because the Afghans are not yet ready to keep their own country safe and to keep terrorists and terrorist training camps out of their country. That's why we have to be there. But as soon as they're able to take care and take security for their own country, that is when we can leave."

The developments also came as apparent evidence of friction emerged in the U.S. command.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan apologized for remarks in a new magazine article in which he and his aides are critical of officials in the Obama administration.

In the article to be published this week by "Rolling Stone," General Stanley McChrystal makes a sarcastic comment about Vice President Joe Biden, known as a skeptic of McChrystal's strategy for the Afghan conflict.

The article also contains unflattering comments regarding the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, and the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.

McChrystal said the article was "a mistake." Reports say he has been ordered back to Washington to explain his remarks.

A NATO spokesman, James Apparthurai, described the article as "unfortunate" but said Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has full confidence in McChrystal.

Meanwhile, a congressional report released on June 21 said the U.S. military is indirectly funding the Afghan insurgency through hiring private companies to ensure safe passage of its supply convoys throughout the country.

The document said the military has been giving tens of millions of dollars to Afghan security firms who are channeling the money to warlords, corrupt public officials, and the Taliban.

A U.S. congressional committee is expected to hear evidence on the investigation from officials at the U.S. Department of Defense later today.

These latest developments came ahead of important international talks next month in Kabul, hosted by President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The Taliban has so far rejected a plan drawn up at a Kabul peace meeting earlier this month to offer jobs and money to those who lay down arms.

The U.S. military has warned that casualties are expected to mount as foreign forces build up their campaign to oust militants from the southern province of Kandahar.

written by Antoine Blua, with agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Afghan_Envoy_Takes_Time_Off_Amid_Signs_Of_NATO_Frictions/2078865.html

Copyright (c) 2010. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.