Afghan President Hamid Karzai Safe After Assassination Attempt

[TheSarge]

April 27: Afghan soldiers run after a gun battle during a ceremony in Kabul.
KABUL, Afghanistan —  Militants firing rockets and automatic rifles attacked the Afghan president at a ceremony in Kabul on Sunday, missing their target but killing three and wounding eight others.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault that sent President Hamid Karzai and foreign ambassadors scurrying for cover, underscoring the fragile grip of his U.S.-backed government.

Gunmen opened fire as a 21-gun salute echoed over the capital at an anniversary ceremony to mark the mujahedeen victory over the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Hundreds of people, including army and police that had formed an honor guard inspected by Karzai minutes earlier, fled in chaos as shots rang out. The president was hustled away, surrounded by bodyguards, and left in a convoy of four black SUVs.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352751,00.html

[Bh]

Combination of an inside job, corruption and ineptitude. Apparently they had set up check points and established a perimeter but hadn't even searched hotel rooms with a clear view of the parade stand. That said, betrayal, corruption and ineptitude is a way of life for these people, I'm surprised there hasn't been more stuff like this happening. NATO is proving to be mostly useless. From what I've read we're transitioning to a more Marine heavy force in Afghanistan and a more Army heavy force in Iraq, that seems like a good move. Bush warned everybody this was going to be a long war fought like no other. He meant what he said.

[TheSarge]

The Marines hit the ground running...they've already engaged al-Qaeda forces in an area that noone else was trying to control.

[Bh]

February 11, 2008
Winning in Afghanistan
Ray Robison

Another top NATO general is going on the record about our success in Afghanistan, though you are unlikely to hear about such things from the mainstream media that prefer a narrative of failure.

Last week I reported that comments from Army Gen. Dan McNeill, the U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan went nearly unreported in the US media.

The General claimed that the rise in violence in Afghanistan was not an indication of Taliban resurgence but of increasing NATO aggressiveness. In short, that we are winning, albeit there are challenges ahead. There is no need to detail the challenges here because the liberal media works overtime to do that anyway.

~snip~

In fact, the General says violence in the Kandahar zone decreased last year, although Canadian forces have one of the most difficult missions in Afghanistan. While there is still fighting, and most likely will be for some time, things are improving in Afghanistan despite the impression created by think tank studies and most media reporting. This "resurgent Taliban" template is not only inaccurate but it is hurting the support for the mission and worsening the situation by driving aid organisations away from people who badly need the help.

Another point of interest is that the General notes that some police stations were overrun last year but quickly retaken. I have observed that when a position in Afghanistan gets overrun it generates an avalanche of media reports. Usually, when NATO forces retake the site within days it generates almost no press. This creates the impression of a Taliban simply gobbling up Afghanistan when the fact is they are losing ground.

Such biased media reporting is not only hurting US national security, it is hurting the innocents in Afghanistan. It is time for President Bush to come out of hiding and take the case directly to the American people. The President must lead by letting his senior military officials speak to the people directly to dispel this "losing in Afghanistan" media myth.

General Petraeus did a phenomenal job of convincing Americans that the real situation in Iraq was not being told by the media. We need another Petraeus moment to build lagging support for Afghanistan.

Link