Matthew Hoh, a high-ranking U.S. diplomate and involved in the Afghanistan conflict, recently resigned from his post in protest of the government's strategy. Here's what he said:
"I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end. To put simply: I fail to see the value or worth in continued U.S. casualties or expenditures of resources in support of the Afghan government in what is, truly, a 35-year old civil war."
This message comes together with the bloodiest day the U.S. ever lived in Afghanistan when bomb blasts killed eight of their soldiers on Tuesday, October 27. And it comes shortly before U.S. President Obama's announcement of his future Afghanistan strategy.
There are currently about 68.000 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan while further 40.000 troops have been recently requested by top U.S. General Stanley Mcchrystal. As to the interior situation of Afghanistan, election fraud in favor of President Karzai is still moving the people while another scandal has just appeared at the surface. According to the New York Times, president Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, has been on the CIA payroll for eight years. Furthermore, he is now suspected to be involved in illegal opium trade.
[Source: Al-Jazeera, English service, October 28, 2009]
To illuminate the volatile situation in Kabul: An explosion and gunfire could be heard from some 200 meters away when an Al-Jazeera expert gave his live comment on recent development in Afghanistan. A plume of smoke from that blast can still be seen in the following picture:
Al-Jazeera, evening news of October 29:
In an assault on a United Nations guesthouse, 5 UN staff members have been killed today.
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