South Asia News
Report: US planning 7-billion-dollar push in Afghanistan
Jan 25, 2007, 6:55 GMT
Washington - The United States is planning a stepped up effort in Afghanistan this year to improve the military, political and economic situation in the country, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
Citing senior US government officials, the newspaper said that President George W Bush would request at least 7 billion dollars in new money from the US Congress in the next budget. Total US assistance to Afghanistan in the five years since the Taliban regime was ousted has been about 14 billion dollars, according to State Department estimates.
The new money would be aimed at reconstruction and security in Afghanistan.
The Taliban movement has regrouped in southern Afghanistan. Casualties in the war between the insurgents and a US-led military coalition supporting the new Afghan government under President Hamid Karzai were higher last year than at any time since the 2001 invasion.
The rising unrest, including guerilla tactics, suicide attacks and opium trafficking, has increasingly worried Western governments trying to deny Afghanistan to the al-Qaeda terrorist network that used the country as a safe haven until 2001.
The upcoming plan, amid Bush administration plans for a surge of US troops to restore order in Iraq, appears meant to target an expected spring offensive by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in South Asia
- 1. Sri Lanka leftist party says leader, activist are abducted
- 2. US agrees to let Afghan forces take lead in night raids
- 3. India, Pakistan leaders want better ties
- 4. Pilot killed in crash of Bangladesh Air Force jet
- 5. Pakistani president visits India for lunch meeting, prayers
Older Talkback
page: 1
Bush has directed that an astronomical amount of dollars be used to fund 'war and reconstruction' explaining that it is needed for reasons like 'terrorism and our security, spreading democracy as America's noble cause'. What Bush doesn't explain is the many thousands of Afghan civilians killed as a result of the US war on Afghanistan in the first few months after 9-11. There was outrage across the world as evidence emerged of mass killing of Afghan prisoners at the apparent direction of US special forces on the ground, yet there was and is a mainstream media blackout of the subject here in the United States. An incredible amount of money for war in the US budget and the remainder of the budget combined, even the combined war budgets of the entire world it takes the equal the amount of money in the US budget for war. And what is spending money on war? Employing a few hundred people in Pennsylvania to make cluster bombs for Israel, dozens of sites like this with different people making different weapons. Armored vehicles by the thousands and massive consumption of fuel. We already know the defense industry didn't armor the humvees to save costs until it came to light and they were forced to change that policy which I would say is driven most by profits. We know the *lucrative contracts* from this 'war budget' were *given* by Bush to the corporations of his choosing. Like a gift for his friends! Stock owners and business executives like Dick Cheney MAKING MONEY because of it! The exact details of where all the war funds end up is a secret, national security claims the executive branch of our government. I would much rather know that the money ended up ending third world debt, or in the construction of clean water projects and schools all around the world... in my opinion making money off war should be outlawed in the United States and there should be the highest penalty for even the smallest infraction!
Ya
Well they spent that much, the question is how much the earned in afghanistan?
more then how much were spent, americans buying drugs and selling to other countries, etc natural materials has been stolen such as zinc, copper gas etc..
So bush needs more money for a war that we will never win. the war on terror is a joke, i think that the cia and bush planned 911 just to go into afganistan and say they were looking for Bin Ladin, once they were there, all they did was protect the pipeline that brings oil to the u.s., oh and kill innocent people that washington believed to be al-Quida. now bush says that he doesn't care where Bin Ladin is that that is not his concern. Saddam is dead and he only wanted revenge since he tried to kill his dad. don't forget that bush sr. works for the Bin Ladin family i think that this country is being run over seas and that we are heading into destruction.
page: 1
unknownJan 25th, 2007 - 07:59:07
about time, need to clear the area, but must control it's borders or in for a long fight.
Report this comment