Petraeus formally took over command of the Afghan war last week after Obama sacked General Stanley McChrystal over an interview in which he and his staff made disparaging comments about Vice President Joe Biden and other senior administration figures.
Last December, Obama announced he was sending an extra 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in an effort to regain the upper hand against a resurgent Taliban, and said he would begin withdrawing from the country in mid-2011. Despite assurances from Obama, reiterated Sunday by Petraeus, that the change of command does not mean a change in strategy, The Post said the first meeting last week between the new commander and the Afghan president turned tense after Karzai renewed his objections to the plan to assist the villagers.
The idea of recruiting villagers into local defence programs is a key part of the US military strategy in Afghanistan, and Karzai’s stance poses an early challenge to Petraeus, the report said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2010.
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