Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, made the unusual move of directly apologizing to the Afghan people on local television.
He sought to control the damage in the aftermath of Sunday’s U.S. airstrike that killed at least 21 people in central Afghanistan.
American and Afghan forces are trying to defeat the Taliban in Helmand province and win over the people there.
For more about the fallout from Sunday’s airstrike, Martin Savidge speaks to Rick Nelson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former member of the U.S. Special Operations command.
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And James Bays of Al Jazeera English reports how Taliban are saying their support among the Afghan people is only increasing.
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02/26/2010 :: 01:55:07 AM
Robert Says:
These things are bigger than one man or one policy. Personally, counter insurgency is expensive and risky because people will always do what is in their own best interest, which may coincide with the other person. Or State. Or it may not. Or it may for a while. And then change. One great thing about the US is that generally speaking one may immigrate their to have a better life. This is especially the case if your country can’t seem to get itself out of the 18th century. Some countries are money pits and can’t be ‘fixed.’ Bush knew this. He was right not to waste men and material in a country that didn’t even have a two lane black top highway traversing it. But then we would be accused of ‘abandoning’ the noble Afghans. When you’re the biggest boy on the block every one wants to take a shot.