Strains in US-Afghan ties on display

[leftchick]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2C57C3E5-56B6-4771-B5AB-188FFED60BD2.htm

<snip>

Karzai, however, left the White House with no promise of more control over thousands of US troops in his country, and with strains in his relationship with the US on full display.


Despite Monday's side-by-side news conference that was designed to showcase US support for Afghanistan's first democratically elected leader, Karzai also got no promise of the quick repatriation of Afghan prisoners now in US custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere.

Both issues have caused Karzai headaches at home, where anti-American sentiment recently exploded over a news report, since retracted, that US interrogators flushed the Quran down a toilet.

Sixteen Afghans died in anti-American demonstrations this month.

"Of course our troops will respond to US commanders," Bush said, even while praising the progress of Afghan forces and taking pains to say that the US military consults with Karzai's government.

[Starfury]

1. Sheesh, even Al Jazeera blames Newsweek.... n/t

[leftchick]

2. Sometimes Al-j

quotes way too much AP bullshit. :(

[LynnTheDem]

3. " anti-American sentiment recently exploded over a news report" BULLSHIT!

BULLSHIT ALREADY! GEEEEEZ!!!

F*cking HELL, ENOUGH already!

“These demonstrations were in reality not related to the Newsweek story,” he said at a joint press conference held after a meeting with President George W. Bush. “They were more against progress in Afghanistan and our strategic partnership with America. We know the people who were behind the demonstrations.”

Mr Karzai's remarks echo the views of General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, who said the violence was “not at all tied to the article in the magazine”.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/d6958aa8-cbaf-11d9-895c-00000e...

May 12, 2005; Myers and Rumsfeld press conferance, 2nd-last paragraph:

GEN. MYERS: It's the -- it's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General Eikenberry, that in fact the violence that we saw in Jalalabad was not necessarily the result of the allegations about disrespect for the Koran -- and I'll get to that in just a minute -- but more tied up in the political process and the reconciliation process that President Karzai and his Cabinet is conducting in Afghanistan. So that's -- that was his judgment today in an after- action of that violence. He didn't -- he thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine."


http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/tr20050512-secdef27...

HELLOOOOO MEDIA!!! I'm not supposed to know better than you! WAKE UP ALREADY!

[Disturbed]

4. You have a large presence, Lynn.

HAHAHA

Karzai is learning what it is to be the Mayor of Kabul with his country another colony of the Amerikan Empire.

[LynnTheDem]

6. I'm starting to get a wee bit irked...does it show?

:D

[Frederik]

5. "anti-American sentiment recently exploded over a news report"

THE PROTESTS DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE NEWSWEEK ARTICLE!!!

Both general Myers and president Karzai have stated that they were entirely unrelated. Jeez.