Karzai - Time to Dump Him? Some people think so!

Karzai's recent negative statements about the United States (and ISAF) are drawing comments from around the world. Some find it hard to understand why the State Department and military cave in to Karzai. We have agreed to allow Afghans to protect our bases, convoys, and development projects with the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF), hand over supervision of the detention facilities, put restraints on our special operations forces that conduct night raids, and we have given him a pass on the corruption found everywhere in his government. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) can't even protect themselves from the Taliban - never mind hoping the APPF can protect NATO and US personnel, facilities, and interests. The Afghans have no clue how to run a detention facility - have we forgotten the 500 Taliban that escaped from the Kandahar prison last year? Although the Afghan special operations forces (ANASF and Commandos) are getting more proficient - they still need the advise and assistance of ISAF SOF. If we agree, as may likely happen, to a warrant-based targeting system then we have major problems. Most recently Karzai has called for NATO to withdraw from the Afghan villages - an action that will certainly put a halt to the very sucessful Village Stability Operations (VSO) program and its associated Afghan Local Police (ALP). Read more about the discontent with Karzai in "Karzai The Ingrate", Investor's Business Daily, March 21, 2012.