Sens. ask envoy: When can we leave Afghanistan?

[unhappycamper]

Sens. ask envoy: When can we leave Afghanistan?
By Sonja Elmquist - Medill News Service
Posted : Thursday Jul 15, 2010 12:20:19 EDT

The Afghan government is on schedule to take over some civil and security functions in time for a planned U.S. military withdrawal next July, but it is lagging in other areas, U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

Committee chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the committee, questioned Holbrooke repeatedly on U.S. expectations for Afghan President Hamid Karzai and what conditions must be present for a military drawdown to take place.

“In some areas we’re on schedule, in some areas we’re behind,” Holbrooke said. Retention of Afghan police officers is improving, but it is unclear whether the upswing is seasonal or will be sustained, he said. He also pointed to improved availability of electricity and a growing economy in Afghanistan.

On the other hand, he said, the Marjah district in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan is falling behind in its numbers of judges and police.

But President Obama “doesn’t want to pull this tree up by its roots every month to see how it’s doing,” Holbrooke said.

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[madrchsod]

2. we are never going to leave afganistan......

as long as there is a soldier willing to die and a contractor(mercenary) willing to be paid the united state of corporations will never leave.