French commander Hautecloque Raysz hands the 'key' to forward

operational base at Nijrab, Afghanistan, to Afghan commander

General Mohammad Zaman Waziri, as French troops make ready

to withdraw by year's end.

U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan: 'Please Don't Wait Until 2014!' (The Nation, Pakistan)

"While Americans might find it unpalatable to ponder, they must be made aware that not only is it unlikely that their forces will meet their goals, but they are in fact acting as a destabilizing force for the entire region. Until they are withdrawn, there can be no stability in the area, and thus their withdrawal should proceed as fast as possible. ... Pakistan must make the United States realize that there is nothing sacred about the 2014 date - and certainly nothing sacred about the end of that year."

EDITORIAL

December 3, 2012

Pakistan – The Nation – Original Article (English)

By a heavy majority, 62 to 33, the U.S. Senate approved a non-binding amendment (#3096) calling for the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. According to media reports, the mover of the resolution, Senator Jeff Merkley, said that the time had come to withdraw, as al-Qaeda was no longer in a position to launch a major attack on American soil, and so the long war should be brought to an end. However, the underlying message is that not even Americans understand why they have 66,000 troops in Afghanistan until the end of 2014.

The resolution calls for something that is now a matter of mere haggling; the exact date when the forces should be withdrawn. That they are to be withdrawn in 2014 is clear, but the diehards have pressed so successfully for staying as long as possible, it is assumed that this means the end of the year. The current argument is that a U.S. contingent is needed for the Afghan elections in 2014, when term limits mean that a collaborationist president other than Hamid Karzai must be found. That is an implicit admission of failure of America's strategy and its plan to train the Afghan Army, particularly given the prevalence of green-on-blue attacks.

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Telegraph, U.K.: Taliban Hit U.S.- U.K. Afghan Base; 'Miss' Prince Harry

The Independent, U.K.: Obama's Foreign Policy of Reconciliation in 'Tatters'

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Der Spiegel, Germany: President of Dissapointment: How Obama Failed to Deliver

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The Frontier Post: Co-opted U.S. Media Will Always Blame Pakistan
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Guardian, U.K.: Pakistani Generals 'Helped Sell Nuclear Secrets'
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Dawn, Pakistan: Even if U.S. Nuclear Accusations are True, Pakistan Broke No Law
Asia Times, Hong Kong: America Homes in on al-Qaeda's New Chief
The Nation, Pakistan: CIA Chief Panetta Says Zawahiri Living in Pakistan
The Frontier Post, Pakistan: Obama Withdrawal Plans 'Spell Doom' for Pakistan
The Frontier Post, Pakistan: Karzai Finally Awakens to American Treachery
The Daily Jang, Pakistan: The Beginning of the End of U.S. in Afghanistan?