WALL STREET JOURNAL: The U.S. suffered a major blow in Afghanistan as President Hamid Karzai made a surprise demand that the American-led coalition pull its troops from villages back to bases, opening a new rift that threatens the U.S. strategy in the country.
U.S. officials said they are planning no changes in deployments, however, and played down Mr. Karzai’s request, which came as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta left Kabul after meetings officials described as cordial.
The Afghan president’s demands to the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization showed the extent to which a series of offenses against Afghans by American forces—in particular the killing on Sunday of 16 villagers, mostly women and children—have roiled Washington’s efforts to seek an orderly way out of the 10-year war… (more)
EDITOR: Time to come home. Another senseless war lost…this one due to mission creep. We lost sight of why we went there in the first place: To kick Al-Qaida’s out. Along with burying the bodies of thousands of young Americans, we buried the hopes of future generations by further squandering their patrimony.
