Pelosi: Afghan surge lacks support

The leader of the US House of Representatives has said that there is little support among Americans and politicians for sending more US troops to Afghanistan.

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker in the Democrat-controlled lower house of congress, made the comment on Thursday, as the administration of President Barack Obama considers whether to send more soldiers to fight the Taliban.

"I don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan in the country or in the congress," Pelosi said.

Pelosi is the most senior Democrat to suggest that any move by the White House or Pentagon to send more troops to Afghanistan may face stern opposition in the legislature.

General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, last week sent an assessment of the military situation in the country to the White House.

The classified report does not ask for extra troops to be deployed to Afghanistan but analysts predict that a subsequent report could formally call for more soldiers to be sent to the battlefield.

A briefing on McChrystal's report has take place this week, administration officials have said, but Pelosi said she does not expects to be briefed until next week.

At least 68,000 US troops will be stationed in Afghanistan by the end of the year, following an order by Obama to send 21,000 more soldiers to the country.

Politicians in the House and senate have said that they require compelling evidence that an influx of more troops to Afghanistan will help overcome fighters linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

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Source: Al Jazeera (English)

Suicide bomber targets NATO base in Kabul

A SUICIDE car bomb exploded outside the NATO military headquarters in the Afghan capital Kabul today, killing three people and wounding at least 70.

The attack in the heart of the city comes just days before August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.

The blast was at the main gate of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and was caused by a suicide bomber, defence ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told reporters at the site.

ISAF personnel are believed to be among the casualties.

Also in the area are the embassies of India, Spain, Italy and the United States, and the presidential palace is about 200 metres away.

ISAF spokesman Brigadier General Eric Tremblay said there were casualties among the International Security Assistance Force as well as some Afghan civilians.

"The bomber was stopped by Afghan security at the first gate," he said.

The explosion was outside the main gate of the ISAF headquarters, where hundreds of troops from various countries are stationed.

The base includes the living quarters and offices of General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander of more than 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan.

About 6200 ISAF troops are stationed in Kabul at various bases.

A health ministry spokesman said 57 wounded, including 12 women and a child, were in the main civilian hospital. Most of them had superficial wounds, he said.

About 20 others were undergoing treatment in the military hospital, a defence ministry official said.

The Taliban, which is leading a mounting insurgency, has not threatened to attack the polls but called on Afghans to boycott the election and join their campaign for “independence” instead.

It was the first suicide attack on the city in months, after a spate of such blasts last year claimed by the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

Eight rockets struck the Afghan capital on Tuesday, including one that landed near the US embassy, wounding a man and a child, the government said, raising tensions ahead of the elections.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the dawn attacks, saying its fighters targeted Afghan soldiers and the Kabul international airport.

The city has not seen a significant attack in months but there are fears the Taliban and other insurgents will strike in the lead-up to the August 20 elections.

Source: The Australian

Taliban gaining upper hand in Afghanistan

Brad Norington, Washington correspondent | August 11

THE US military's top commander in Afghanistan has admitted the Taliban have gained the upper hand in fighting, as debate rages in the US over the war's intended "endgame".

General Stanley McChrystal warned yesterday that US casualties, already at record levels, would remain high for many months.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal from Kabul, General McChrystal said the Taliban's strength had grown as they moved beyond traditional areas in southern Afghanistan to threaten formerly stable regions in the north and west.

The commander's comments indicate a surge in US troop numbers, expected to increase from 31,000 to 68,000 by later this year, has not made progress so far.

Just hours after the interview appeared, Taliban militants launched a major attack on a provincial government and police headquarters near the capital Kabul -- 10 days before nationwide elections.

General McChrystal said the Taliban were inflicting significant casualties with sophisticated attacks that combined roadside bombs with ambushes by small teams of heavily armed militants.

The assessment is a preview of a strategic assessment General McChrystal is expected to provide Washington later this month, which follows a revised military policy of protecting the local populations ahead of hunting down insurgents.

The general's assessment coincides with a report that 50 Afghan drug traffickers with links to the Taliban have been placed on a Pentagon hit list to be captured or killed.

According to a study to be released by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week, US military commanders have told congressional leaders they believe the policy is legal under the military's rules of engagement and international law. Read more here...

Source: The Australian