Photo: General John AllenThe Triage Commander: Gen. John Allen Hastily Transforming U.S. Mission In Afghanistan -- Washington Post
GELAN, Afghanistan — Standing in a plywood-walled command post before Gen. John R. Allen, the supreme allied commander in Afghanistan, the nervous-but-earnest young lieutenant cast his platoon’s task for the day in the grand terms of counterinsurgency strategy — the American military’s wartime playbook for the past several years. The goal of the platoon’s walk through a bazaar and meetings with village leaders, the lieutenant said, was for the Afghan government to be “seen as an effective governing body that gains legitimacy with the local population.”
Such ambition used to elicit enthusiastic praise from visiting generals. Not anymore.
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My Comment: A good analysis on the Afghan War from the Washington Post, making it my must read for today. As to what is my take on the article .... General Allen is an excellent general, but he is just one man who must now face an incredibly difficult mission with inadequate resources and a timetable for withdrawal that is driven more by Washington politics than what is happening on the ground. This is a no-win situation .... and I am sure that he must know that.
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