| | US concerned international community may abandon Afghanistan AFP
01/31/2008
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WASHINGTON - The United States expressed concern Thursday that the international community could abandon Afghanistan, cautioning that success in the insurgency-wracked nation was "not assured."
"The greatest threat to Afghanistan's future is abandonment by the international community," Richard Boucher, the State Department's pointman for Afghanistan, told a Senate hearing on the turmoil in Afghanistan.
He said the mission in Afghanistan needed more troops and equipment, such as helicopters, pointing out that "too few of our allies have combat troops fighting the insurgents especially in the south."
Southern Afghanistan has seen the worst violence since the Taliban were ousted in the US-led invasion in 2001, after the September 11 terror attacks masterminded by Al-Qaeda, whose leaders were given sanctuary by the Taliban.
Several top experts, including retired US Marine Corps general James Jones, warned in separate reports Wednesday that Afghanistan could become a failed state.
The reports came amid new concerns over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's commitment to providing more troops to fight a resurgent Taliban militia, whose control of the sparsely populated parts of Afghanistan was increasing.
"Success is possible but not assured," said Boucher, who came under intense questioning from Senators at the hearing. "Therefore, the international community needs to continue and expand its efforts."
"We expect more from our NATO allies; we have promised the Afghan people to assist in stabilizing their country, and we must give NATO personnel the tools they need to make good on that promise," he said.
Recent polls in Afghanistan reflect skepticism over the ability of President Hamid Karzai's government and the international community to tackle critical problems such as insecurity, weak governance, widespread corruption, a poor economy and unemployment.
British aid agency Oxfam warned this week of the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan unless Western countries made a "major change of direction" in their strategy.
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