Joel Brinkley
In a speech a few days ago, he announced that he was going to ban private security companies from working in his country, the people who protect civilian aid workers and others.
The security companies "are against
His point: The Afghan police "have the capability of handling security issues."
Karzai spoke on the same afternoon that the bodies of 10 medical-aid workers arrived back in
Karzai spoke even as millions of people picked up that week's copy of
Once again, where were those Afghan police?
In fact, many policemen sympathize with the Taliban -- especially with the group's view of women. Most police are also illiterate and thoroughly corrupt. So Karzai wants to put the lives of American and other Western aid workers, specialists whose mission is to help the Afghan people because the government won't, into the hands of these feckless policemen? Surely
Think again. Brig. Gen.
Karzai has
Early this year,
Karzai, speaking to his foreign benefactors last month, lauded the new unit and promised to give it "the legal basis and resources to act quickly and decisively." After that, the task force did in fact act decisively. It arrested one of Karzai's most senior aides,
Karzai was furious. He ordered his attorney general to release this aide from jail, on bond. And then he angrily announced that he would set up a commission to investigate the work of the task force and a related anti-corruption agency. No one involved has any doubt that his real aim is to take control of the task force -- and then defang it.
With every passing week, the
Sixty-six American soldiers died in
I say, go ahead. Give it a try. See how long you last.
Available at Amazon.com:
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
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(C) 2010 Joel Brinkley