Rice praises dem. future of Afghanistan while fierce fighting continues

[babylonsister]

Nice to see freedom on the march there, too!

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/28/1421229

Rice Praises "Democratic Future of Afghanistan" As Fierce Fighting Continues in one of Bloodiest Months Since 2001 U.S. Invasion


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Afghanistan today for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Her visit comes during one of the bloodiest months in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001 - over the past few weeks more than five hundred people have been killed. We speak with The Nation correspondent Christian Parenti interviewed Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and we go to Islamabad to speak Pakistani journalist and analyst Ahmed Rashid. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Afghanistan today for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other top officials.

Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Rice expressed strong U.S.-support for Karzai saying "I don't know anyone who is more admired and respected in the international community." Rice also said the "democratic institutions and democratic future of Afghanistan are getting stronger and stronger every day."

Her comments come during one of the bloodiest months in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001. US and coalition forces recently launched the largest military offensive in the country since the fall of the Taliban. Fighting across southern Afghanistan killed at least thirty-three people on Tuesday alone. Over the past month, more than five hundred people have died.

Last week, President Karzai criticized the US-led offensive. He said it was unacceptable that many Afghans had been killed in the fighting. He also said that the current focus on hunting Taliban militants did not address the root causes of the violence. Karzai said he wanted more emphasis on helping to rebuild the country's economy, and strengthen its institutions.

Condoleezza Rice travelled to Afghanistan from Pakistan where she held talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on Tuesday. She urged Musharraf to cooperate more closely with Afghanistan against the Taliban.

* Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani journalist based in Lahore. He is author of three books including "Taliban" and most recently "Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia." He has covered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia for the past 25 years and writes for the "Far Eastern Economic Review," the "Daily Telegraph," and "The Wall Street Journal."
- Website: AhmedRashid.com
* Christian Parenti, a correspondent for the Nation Magazine. He has reported extensively from Afghanistan. He recently spent six weeks in Afghanistan in February and March where he met with Taliban fighters.

[Supersedeas]

1. is Condi there to brief him on the necessity of 'collateral damage'

[babylonsister]

2. Yep, he needs to play nice with his liberators. nt