"Blood price" paid to prop up Afghan govt-ex-aide

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The international community is paying a huge price in casualties and vast sums of aid money to support a corrupt and unpopular government in Afghanistan, a former U.N. political affairs aide in Kabul said on Monday.

"We're paying a very high price in blood and treasure to prop up this government and unless we are prepared to take a much firmer stance, we will fail," Nick Horne, who resigned from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, wrote in The Times.

Horne said it was time for the world to "push the reset button on the Afghan nation-building project" and begin tackling the corruption that has weakened the Afghan government.

"Although I have tried to remain optimistic, I now believe that strategic failure is the most likely outcome of our engagement in Afghanistan," Horne, who said he had resigned two days ago, wrote.

"Among the greatest mistakes of the international community has been its laissez-faire approach to the corruption, cronyism and venality of the Afghan government," he added.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSL2331348

[AzDar]

1. Out, NOW.

:puke:

[unhappycamper]

2. Hey, it's only $180 million dollars a day.

And that just the cost of the occupation. Throw in another $680+ billion a year to keep the Department of Death going and you're starting to talk treasure.

[denem]

3. 'laissez-faire' - There's THAT word again.