U.S.: NATO, Marines need help in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

U.S.: NATO, Marines need help in Afghanistan
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 8, 2008 10:10:19 EST

KABUL, Afghanistan — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband made an unannounced visit Thursday to Afghanistan to show support for Afghan officials while prodding them for cooperation in the war against Islamic militants.

They were seeing Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials amid a welter of outside assessments that progress in the six-year war is stalling. The two made clear they expect cooperation from the Karzai government, widely seen as weak.

“The Afghan government has responsibilities, too,” Rice told reporters. “This is a two-way street, and I think everybody has to step back and concern ourselves with the Taliban.”

An influx of more than 3,000 Marines is expected into Afghanistan this spring in an attempt to help in a NATO-led fight with a resurgent Taliban.

“We’ve got responsibilities that we’re determined to live up to and obligations that we’re determined to live up to and ditto for the Afghan authorities,” Miliband said. “That’s something we want to follow through and at the heart of both our strategies is the belief this has to be done with the Afghan government and, in fact, led by the Afghan government, with our support.”


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_marinenato_080207/