Leavenworth Strategist

Europe Willing to Boost Civilian Aid to Afghanistan

DW-WORLD.DE 24.02.2009

The United States would like to see European states send more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. The EU's foreign ministers have said they're ready to help, but that more soldiers are not necessarily the answer.

The European Union has launched programs in Afghanistan to help train police and judges to do their jobs. It’s these types of programs that European leaders are committed to supporting. At the same time, there's much less enthusiasm among the EU's foreign ministers for sending troops to fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

 

"There are ways of cooperating on Afghan's stability apart from just by the military," the bloc's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday, Feb. 23.

Solana said the EU could do more to assist Afghanistan, but not with military means. He was backed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

New Troops to Be Deployed to Secure Afghan Elections

By VOA News
23 February 2009

The deputy commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan says he is confident member states will send thousands of extra troops needed to bolster security for presidential elections in August.

Lieutenant General Jim Dutton told reporters Monday "we are talking about thousands" of soldiers, but he added "not many thousands." He explained they will be used to provide extra mobile forces on one or two days for the August 20 polls.

Dutton also said NATO is confident they will get what they have asked for.

Turkey Joins Counterpiracy Mission in the Gulf of Aden

Navy NewsStand  Newstory Number: NNS090227-07, Release Date: 2/27/2009 1:50:00 PM

By Lt. John Fage, Combined Task Force 151 Public Affairs

MONTEREY, At Sea (NNS) -- The Turkish frigate TCG Giresun (F-491) joined
Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 Feb. 26 and began conducting counterpiracy operations in the Gulf of Aden alongside other coalition naval forces.

"Bringing another professional navy into the fold is going to make it even more difficult for the pirates to operate out here," said Rear Adm. Terence McKnight, commander, CTF 151. "Giresun and her crew will add even more experience and manpower to a very robust counterpiracy mission. We're making life very difficult for those looking to disrupt the free flow of commerce in the area."

Commanded by Capt. Cenk Dalkanat, Giresun joins CTF 151's flagship USS Monterey (CG 61), the Danish flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16), and other ships from the U.S. and U.K., which have conducted operations as part of the task force...

 

NATO allies reluctant to increase Afghan presence

International Herald Tribune/The Associated Press, Friday, February 20, 2009

KRAKOW, Poland: NATO defense ministers concluded two days of talks here Friday with indications that few allies were willing to offer significant numbers of additional combat troops for Afghanistan but that they might seek to compensate by deploying more civilians to train local security forces and build the country's economy.

The announcement this week that the Obama administration would send 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by the summer was met with formal offers from allies numbering only in the hundreds of fresh troops of their own.

Afghan Officials Join US Review of War Strategy

(Voice of America) By Barry Newhouse, Kabul,15 February 2009

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his government will participate in President Barack Obama's strategic review of the war in Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai announced the agreement after meeting with U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke.

Karzai described talks with ambassador Holbrooke as frank, detailed and fruitful and said he looks forward to working with President Obama on reviewing U.S. strategy in the region.