Afghanistan Needs Continued American Commitment, Says Official

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke told the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday that if the United States is going have a successful run in Afghanistan, its commitment and investment must continue unwavered. 

Holbrooke said strengthening the Afghan government and weeding out corruption is critical if President Obama’s war strategy is to succeed. 

“The steps we’ve taken so far to fight corruption is a start,” said Holbrooke, citing the multiple recent arrests of corrupt Afghan officials. Despite the progress, Holbrooke acknowledges that there was still a lot of work to do in erasing corruption within the Afghan government.

One of the keys to a stronger Afghan government, Holbrooke said, is an effective transfer of control from US and NATO forces to locals. He said that, without a commitment to a smooth transfer, “the process will not move forward.”

Holbrooke stressed that persistent investment in the Afghan military and police forces and the economic development of the country is vital. Accomplishing these goals will require “continued American commitment,” and patience even after American troops have left the country.

Holbrooke’s testimony comes in wake of wavering Democratic support for the war in Afghanistan, including a vote for an additional $37 billion in war spending that 106 House Democrats voted against.

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), one of the opposing Democrats, questioned the validity of the United States’ mission in Afghanistan. Moran recounted his recent visit to Afghanistan where he was told that from the perspective of some Afghan tribal leaders, the United States “didn’t liberate Marja, the Taliban liberated it from a corrupt police chief who was preying on his own people.”

Official Pledges Commitment In Afghanistan

President Barack Obama’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday that the proposed July 2011 troop withdrawal date marks only the beginning of a gradual, transitional phase for Afghanistan and its military.

Holbrooke was pushed to give members his own “vision” of when the United States can expect a “full, absolute withdrawal” of troops from Afghanistan after they argued that a three to five year prospective timeline made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was “too long” a period.

“I am very wary of setting a specific date for absolute withdrawal,” he said.

Holbrooke said that the United States must continue to support the economic development of Afghanistan and the training of the country’s police and military forces.

“A sustainable transition will be a gradual one [and] we continue to fulfill our obligation to train the police and the military,” he said.

Strategies regarding the transition from America’s military presence to a civilian assistance campaign are already being implemented but Holbrooke added that this process will be expensive and it will not happen overnight.

“This will not be cheap, but it will be a fraction of the money that is now being authorized for the military campaign,” he said. “If we walk away from Afghanistan again, as we did 21 years ago, the consequences will be catastrophic because of the unique strategic position of Afghanistan and the reaction that would have in Pakistan.”

State Dept. Official Warns Of Challenging Afghan Election

Richard Holbrooke, the State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is one of the many international figures keeping a close watch on the political situation in Afghanistan in the lead up to the country’s presidential election, but concedes that despite attempts to ensure legitimacy, the election results will not satisfy everybody.

“Will there be challenges in this election? There are in every other democracy. I think we should assume those,” Holbrooke said Wednesday during a panel discussion with his interagency task force.

“Holding an election in a war time situation is always difficult, holding one when the enemy said it was going to disrupt it is even more difficult,” Holbrooke said.

While Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to hold elections in April, in accordance to the country’s constitution, an election commission moved the date to August 20th to prepare for security, budgetary, and technical concerns. 38 presidential candidates are currently running.

The special representative urged patience following the polls’ closing, explaining that it will take time to determine the winner.

“We aren’t going to know on the evening of August 20th who won. CNN is not going to call this election,” Holbrooke said. “There will be disputes as there are in American elections.”

While Afghanistan’s election commission would likely have an important role in declaring the election legitimate, Holbrooke stressed the importance of the media in analyzing the the results.

“You take the three most obvious examples [of contested elections]: Iran, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. No one knows what actually happened there. What you know is what you think you know, thanks to the media.”

Holbrooke touched upon the larger focus of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, and Although the representative did not give a clear definition on what factors would signal success in Afghanistan from an American perspective, he promised “we will know it when we see it.”