France, Karzai want faster NATO Afghan exit

PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy said France and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will ask NATO to hand over all combat missions in Afghanistan to Afghan troops in 2013 — a year earlier than planned.

Sarkozy also says France has informed U.S. President Barack Obama of the proposal and will present it at a meeting of NATO defense ministers early next month.

The move, if confirmed, comes at a time of widespread fatigue among European contributors to the 10-year allied intervention in Afghanistan, and would accelerate a gradual drawdown of NATO troops that Obama planned to see through until the end of 2014.

"We have decided in a common accord with President Karzai to ask NATO to consider a total handling of NATO combat missions to the Afghan army over the course of 2013," Sarkozy said.

France halts Afghan training after 4 troops shot
Afghan Taliban: Peace talks won't end fighting

News of the French-Afghan proposal comes one week after Sarkozy abruptly suspended France's training missions and joint military patrols with Afghan forces following the shooting death of four unarmed French troops by an Afghan soldier on Jan. 20.

Sarkozy announced that the French will resume their training mission as of Saturday and withdraw its own troops by the end of 2013.

With Karzai at his side, Sarkozy also said authority in the strategic province of Kapisa east of Kabul, where nearly all French troops are deployed, will be handed over to the Afghans in March.

[WildBill935]

Karazi won't live long once the armies fighting his war are gone. He is looking to mend fences with those who will ultimately kill him and his government quickly. Who cares one theif killed by those who steal personal freedom. Maybe we'll stop sending money to oppressive people who can't concieve the value of democracy.

[slatep]

What's wrong with withdrawing all US and NATO troops this year.!!??

Nothing would please me more than the oppurtunity to save more of our troops lives.

Ten years is already nine years too many.

Karzai has been playing NATO, the United States, Iran and the Taliban off against one another since Day One.

In addition to the billions of dollars in foreign aid sent to Afghanistan, billions more dollars have been sent to fund the ongoing war have somehow been "lost" (the DOD has no idea where these billions went) plus the billions it's cost to support the mission in Afghanistan could go a long way toward reducing the national debt.

Karzai and Pakistan are on our side only when it's convenient for them.

In spite of all the treachery committed by Pakistan; the US continues to send billions is aid to them.

The argument to continue diplomatic relations and to keep sending billions in aid to them is they have nuclear weapons and might use them to attack other middle eastern countries and the US.

Well; GUESS WHAT.? Paybacks are hell.!

Every time a Pakistani soldier or citizen is accidentally killed by our troops, they close off the supply lanes used to supply our troops with vital materials and demand that the US pay financial renumeration to their families.

The United States troops supposedly went into Afghanistan to capture Osama bin-Laden.

BIN-LADEN IS DEAD.!

Part of the US mission in Afghanistan is also to help them to re- build their infrastructure.

In the meantime; all these billions of dollars are keeping us from re-building our own infrastructure.

After nine years of US troops fighting in Iraq and sacrifing the lives of more than 4,000 American troops; the Iraquis went right back to killing their own people in a religious war that has been going on for hundreds of years.

The same thing is going to happen in Afghanistan when our troops pull out.

So, my question is WHY WAIT.??

Get out now; save the lives of GOD knows how many Americans and keep the billions in the US treasury instead of pi**ing it down a rathole.!!