Afghan Leader Condemns Air Strike As Gates Arrives
(Reuters.com)…Phil Stewart and Sayed Salahuddin, Reuters
…Civilian casualties caused by foreign forces hunting militants have caused major tension between Karzai and his Western allies. The latest incident came at a bad time as Defense Secretary Robert Gates landed for unannounced talks.
Karzai Calls Aide’s Arrest ‘Exactly Reminiscent’ Of Soviet Times
(Washington Post)…Greg Jaffe
…The president’s remarks, delivered at a news conference in the capital, are likely to fuel criticism that he is unwilling to crack down on the pervasive corruption within his administration. But Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who appeared with Karzai on Thursday, did not publicly challenge him on either the corruption issue or the Afghan president’s contention that the arrest represented an abuse of human rights.
Karzai Kin Asks U.S. To Bolster His Bank
(Wall Street Journal)…Matthew Rosenberg and Maria Abi-Habib
A top shareholder in Afghanistan’s largest bank called on the U.S. to shore up the lender after depositors withdrew about a third of its cash reserves in two days, while the country sought to avert a destabilizing crisis at a crucial moment in the fight against the Taliban.
And saving the best for last:
Karzai: Obama’s 2011 Pullout Timetable ‘Boosting Enemy Morale’
VOA, August 27, 2010
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has criticized a plan by U.S. President Barack Obama to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan next July.
Mr. Karzai told a visiting U.S. congressional delegation Thursday that Mr. Obama’s July 2011 deadline for the start of a troop pullout has given insurgents a “morale boost.”
Does anyone see a pattern here?
