How a Mayor Karazai be a King Karazai

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Our mayor of Kabul (Kabuli mare) is in the news again. This time he is angry at the coalition forces dying and fighting for him. He tells them guys don’t use airplanes, use swords. Too many Afghan Taliban are dying thanks to airplanes. Using swords will be less traumatic for the insurgents.

Ok he may not have used exact same words. But for a change (and I am happy to see that) he is not “garaj and baras” (make bombastic statements) against Pakistan.

You know the trouble with Afghani Qaum (nation) is that they expect others to come in and cleanup their $hite. These 2-bit tribals have been at it for the last 200 years ans still refuse to take responsibility for their own house.

Afghanistan has become cancer in the region. Pakistan should join coalition forces and take over the control of Eastern provinces. Fighting talib menace in Wazirastan is no good. We should be fighting this menace in Afghanistan.

Frustrated Karzai toughens stance
By Alastair Leithead
BBC News, Kabul
** Hundreds of people have died in southern Afghanistan over the past few weeks and President Hamid Karzai is starting to feel the strain. ** He has been in China all week, discussing economic ties and increasing co-operation, but the first news conference he had given at his Kabul palace in more than four months was dominated by his frustration over the increasing violence.
The Nato top brass have always been predicting a tough start, as they push extra troops out into areas the government or the coalition just hasn’t controlled since the end of the Taleban.
Whether they were hoping for the best, and preparing their home nations for the worst or not, it’s clear to coalition insiders that the Taleban are “fighting harder and more coherently, tenaciously and in bigger numbers than they expected”.

                                                                        They are predicting "a bloody summer," but are confident that come the autumn the extra forces will have paid off and the Taleban will be severely weakened.

We shall have to wait to assess that, but President Karzai’s couched criticism of the international community came across as something of an “I told you so”.

                                                                                                                                                 **                              The international community [must] reassess the manner in which this war against terror is conducted                              **                              
                                                                                     President Karzai                                                                                          
                                                                                                                     **                              President Karzai                               **](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3681938.stm)                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                "I did expect a rise in militant activity," he told a news conference.

“And for two years I have systematically, consistently and on a daily basis warned the international community of what was developing in Afghanistan and of the need for a change of approach in this regard.”
He called for reform and strengthening of the police and army, extra resources and equipment and better assistance for provincial government improvements, but perhaps more importantly urged a change in the broad strategy.
He talked of “the need on behalf of the international community to reassess the manner in which this war against terror is conducted”.
** Pakistan looms **
He did not, this time, directly blame Pakistan, but it is clear that is what he was getting at.
By urging the international community to switch the “war on terror” to focus on the sources of the “terrorism” in Afghanistan, he was pointing the finger of blame at his eastern neighbour.
In English he was more diplomatic; in Dari he expressed a “dissatisfaction with the lack of strategic decisions from the international community to stop terrorism”.
“Strategic means the world should address the place where the terrorism is being trained, financed, given an ideology and encouraged,” he said.
Everyone knows who he is talking about.
** Media ‘advice’ **
And this week there was another sign of a government on the defensive, as media restrictions were the talk of Kabul.

                                                                           A list that could have been taken straight from a Soviet handbook of press manipulation was delivered by the country's intelligence agency to the majority of broadcasters and publishers.

It may have been shrugged off as unofficial, but this was not some maverick intelligence official pushing his luck - it’s pretty clear this came from above.
Whether it was just testing the water, or a way of intimidating the free press, which has thrived over the past few years, it was a clear indication the government is shaken by the reports of the numbers of dead and injured coming from the south.
Taleban commanders have been interviewed and there are scenes of violence - bombs and bodies - on the news most nights. This is affecting “the national morale”, as the press advice put it.
“Terrorist acts should not lead news bulletins,” was one rule; another was not to present the military as weak.
** Tough test **
Mr Karzai was given the chance to reject the press restrictions out of hand, but didn’t, instead choosing to support freedom of speech as a pillar of democracy, while adding that national security was the most important factor for the media to consider.
An aide commented on how the Chinese media were severely restricted during the president’s trip, but it wasn’t altogether clear whether he was condoning it, or admiring the system.
Operation Mountain Thrust is taking the fight to the Taleban, and things are going to get worse.
How the president chooses to deal with this could make or break his presidency.

                          Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/5107816.stm

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Re: How a Mayor Karazai be a King Karazai

Karazai should go visit the frontline, instead of staying merely as a Kabuli mare.

Afghanistan offensive ‘kills 48’
** Afghan and US-led forces have killed at least 48 Taleban militants in heavy overnight fighting in southern Kandahar province, the Afghan army says. ** The coalition said two of its soldiers died in the clash in Panjwayi district. Their nationality was not released.
Nearly 200 rebels are reported to have been killed over the last two weeks in the US-led Operation Mountain Thrust.
The BBC’s Alastair Leithead in Helmand Province says it is almost impossible to verify numbers of dead or wounded.

                                             	      	             Our correspondent says it appears from coalition and Afghan army reports that the operation to drive Taleban fighters from the southern provinces is having a major impact on the insurgents. 
 	     	             But he says with Taleban claims and counter-claims, it is also clear that a propaganda war is being fought.

On Sunday, private Pakistani channel Geo television broadcast a message, allegedly from Taleban leader Mullah Omar, saying Afghans would not let others dictate to them.
Meanwhile, President Hamid Karzai has repeated his call for more co-ordination between international troops and tribal and community leaders during counter-insurgency operations,
“Every effort should be made to avoid harm to the civilian population,” a statement released on Sunday said.
** Air support **
In the latest clashes, Taleban fighters opened fire from hidden positions in an orchard in Panjwayi district south-west of the city of Kandahar, said Afghan army commander for the south Gen Rahmatullah Raufi.

                                                	      	                 	     	             "So far we have killed 48 Taleban. The operation is still going on," he told the BBC.      	     	            
 	     	             Coalition troops called in helicopter gunships that strafed the area, he added.       	     	            
 	     	             A statement from the US military said the two coalition soldiers had died in hospital from injuries sustained in the fighting.      	     	            
 	     	             "The enemy fighters attempted to flee the area, but then joined other reinforcements in a nearby compound," it said.       	     	            
 	     	             The statement estimated that 45 "extremists" had been killed.

Operation Mountain Thrust involves about 10,000 US, UK, Canadian and Afghan troops in four southern provinces, where violence has soared over the past few months.
A Nato-led force will take over from the coalition in the south at the end of July and the operation is aimed are preparing the ground for this change of command.
The Taleban still has a major influence over many of the districts in the south, as do drugs warlords, our correspondent says.
Military commanders say they were expecting resistance as thousands of troops move out into areas which have simply been out of government control for many years, he adds.

                          Story from BBC NEWS:
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Re: How a Mayor Karazai be a King Karazai

Shut up dude, u dont care who dies, i support the so-called militants, they have full right to attack the u.s. soldiers in islam, its their home, and u.s. nothing but a cold blooded invader.