Official: Foreign Fighters Helping Taliban

(AP)  Thousands of foreign fighters have poured into Afghanistan to bolster the Taliban insurgency, the country's defense minister said Saturday as he called for more international troops.

The remarks come as the U.S. debates whether to substantially increase its forces in Afghanistan or to conduct a more limited campaign focused on targeting al Qaeda figures - most of whom are believed to be in neighboring Pakistan.

The minister's comments hit on a key worry of the United States - that not sending enough troops to Afghanistan will open the door back up to al Qaeda. They also suggest that the Afghan government is nervous about the U.S. commitment amid talk of changing the strategy and a surge in violence in recent months.

An American and two Polish troops were killed by bombs in the latest violence reported by NATO forces.

"The enemy has changed. Their number has increased," Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak told lawmakers in a speech. He said about 4,000 fighters, mostly from Chechnya, North Africa and Pakistan "have joined with them and they are involved in the fighting in Afghanistan."

He gave no timeframe for the supposed increase in foreign fighters.

Wardak said Afghan intelligence services had asked for more international forces to cope with the foreign threat, and the minister's spokesman said Wardak backed the call.

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U.S. military officials said they could not immediately comment on the claim of a recent influx of foreign fighters.

Afghanistan's interior minister, who also spoke to parliament, endorsed a strategy promoted by the top U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal to focus on protecting civilians rather than simply killing insurgents.

"If the target of this fight is only killing the Taliban, we will not win this war. If it is saving the Afghan people, then we have a possibility," Interior Minister Hanif Atmar said.

The strategy debate in the U.S. has been complicated by the still-undecided Afghan presidential election, which has raised doubts about whether there will be reliable, credible Afghan leadership to cement any military gains by the U.S. and its allies. Results from the disputed August vote have been delayed because of widespread allegations of fraud.

A U.N.-backed fraud investigation panel was analyzing data Saturday from an audit and recount of polling stations with suspect results. Results from about 13 percent of the country's polling stations hang in the balance - enough to swing the result from an outright win by President Hamid Karzai to a forced runoff between the top two finishers.

Election officials have said they expect to announce final results by the end of next week.

The weeks of waiting have been dogged by accusations of wrongdoing between candidates and even within the U.N., which has advised on the vote and whose appointees dominate the fraud investigation panel.

The second-in-command at the U.N. in Afghanistan was fired this month after a dispute with his boss about how to investigate alleged fraud. The official, American Peter Galbraith, has since accused the U.N. of trying to cover up fraud to avoid a runoff vote. Kai Eide, the top U.N. envoy to Afghanistan, has denied the charges.

An Afghan election official said Saturday that the U.N. dispute is further damaging the credibility of an election already seen as marred by fraud.

"This kind of controversy will of course have an impact on the wider perception of the election inside and outside Afghanistan," said Zekria Barakzai, a deputy chief electoral officer with the government-appointed Independent Election Commission. "It is a negative impact."

The U.S. service member died Saturday of wounds suffered in a bombing in southern Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.

The Polish soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Wardak province on Friday, Poland's Defense Ministry said. Four others were wounded.

Also Saturday, Afghan officials said nine Taliban were killed the day before in a gunfight in Wardak.

Two Afghan policemen and a district official were killed Friday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Paktika province, which borders Pakistan.

[sdemaggie]

Yeah right, whose financing these "thousands" of foreign fighters for that matter whose financing the insurgents and why do we care? We attack the Afghans due to their intransigence with regard to turning over bin boobben not to over throw the government. Why are we wasting Our treasure on these stone age idiots?

[John_Merritt]

Official: "Foreign Fighters Helping Taliban" Why does that come as NO SHOCK to anybody? Because we have created an environment worldwide where the perceived 'disenfranchised' of this world are going to make sure the US and any of its allies are punished. They will use whatever means they can to disrupt, discourage and destroy our beliefs and our way of life.

My personal opinion is like our chances when we use intelligence here and abroad to track the flow of monies and people throughout the continents. I also like our ability to defend our borders which means I don't care if we walk away from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or any other parts of this world.

I say let them destroy themselves, we follow and track theire movements and we do not allow ANY company worldwide to provide them weapons. Let Pakistan stew because after awhile they will go after India and let them clean their clocks. India hates Pakistan and much as Al Queda and the Taliban hate us. I'll put my money on India, they are more our friends and they want the same things we do. They are now tasting prosperity and they want peace, so let them handle their region.

[bubbadubba]

Just wanted to point out that the Taliban did not attack the US.
Sorry to burst the propaganda bubble.
The war in Afghanistan is about the oil pipeline the oil companies want and always has been.

[wyodutch]

You're wringing your hands over some pissant nothing like Afghanistan while America is falling apart?
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Give me a break!
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"October 11, 2009... In the latest sign of weakness in Louisville-area employment, about 10,000 people applied over three days for 90 jobs building washing machines at General Electric."

[robinspp]

Why do we have to occupy a country where there is nothing available except Opium? George Bush occupied Iraq for Oil, because Exxon could not get access to Iraq oil during Saddam era. Bush was an Exxon agent. I don?t know why Obama is still following Bush?s foreign policy on war.

[wyodutch]

Which is the bigger threat to the United States Constitution and the Bill of Righte... The Taliban... or the U.S. government?
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It ain't the Taliban that's spying on Americans... reading emails... listening in on phone calls... conducting sneak and peek raids.

[nextgenman09]

Official: Foreign Fighters Helping Taliban
Defense Minister Requests More International Troops, Says Thousands Bolstering Taliban Insurgency
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This why we lose every war we get into....we have dazzlingly dumb masters of the obvious making grandiose assgass statements like this thinking somehow they've done some critical assessment of the situation. We're doomed.

[WiseWidget]

The American suckers (that's us folks!), duped again, are ready to pour more money down the drain for these Forever Wars. These wars provide a lot of income for these backward nations and the opportunity to steal billions of American dollars. If you can get the stupid Americans to invade and occupy your country you have really achieved something. This is disgusting, but what will be even worse is when you see our soldiers on every street corner of our country begging for money after the military is done with them. We have been winning these wars every day for nine years. Had enough yet?

[babooph]

What about the "special relationship" with the SUPPOSED invincible Israeli army???They send no one!!!ONE WAY RELATIONSHIP is more purely accurate-US propaganda system has sold another BIG LIE!

[zdog52]

remember the people of 911 jumping off the burning skyscrapers. There will always be religious zeolots. The world became enlightened when we stood up to religion. The future of the human race depends on stopping these nuts. Technology will end them just like in world war II We don't have to stand tall but we have to stand up. This isn't fast food it is a desert that tastes better when served cold.