Kabul Downplays Apparent Karzai-Petraeus Dispute
VOA News
15 November 2010
The Afghan government is playing down an apparent dispute between President Hamid Karzai and NATO's commander in Afghanistan about the NATO strategy for fighting Taliban militants.
Karzai spokesman Waheed Omar said Monday the president has confidence in NATO commander General David Petraeus. Omar also said Kabul and NATO are engaged in a dialogue about combat strategies but remain partners with common interests.
In a recent interview with the Washington Post newspaper, President Karzai said he wants U.S.-led NATO forces to reduce the visibility and intensity of military operations in Afghanistan.
Mr. Karzai also called on NATO forces to stop night-time raids that he says aggravate Afghans and incite people to join the Taliban insurgency.
The Washington Post says General Petraeus expressed "astonishment and disappointment" about Mr. Karzai's criticism of operations that have been a key part of NATO's strategy to improve security in Afghanistan.
U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke said Monday NATO forces do not have a strategy to exit Afghanistan but rather a plan to transition the country to Afghan security control.
Speaking on a visit to Islamabad, Holbrooke said the United States will begin withdrawing some troops from Afghanistan next July but will retain a combat presence in the country until 2014. He said some U.S. forces will remain in Afghanistan after that date in a training role.
Holbrooke said Washington will present its transition plan for Afghanistan at a NATO summit in Lisbon later this week that he predicted will mark a "turning point" in U.S. policies in Afghanistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
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