U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Newman, right, leads his fire team on an early morning dismounted patrol mission near Forward Operating Base Baylough, Zabul province, Afghanistan, March 19, 2009. Newman is assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Adam ManciniFrom Washington Post:
Three time bombs are buried within the new and ambitious strategy for Afghanistan that President Obama unveiled Friday. Their detonation -- which would cripple the international mission to stabilize the country and perhaps cripple Obama's presidency -- is not inevitable. But defusing them will take an exceptional performance by U.S. military commanders and diplomats, some skillful politicking by the president -- and maybe a little of the unexpected good fortune that blessed the U.S. surge in Iraq.
The first fuse is burning down toward Aug. 20, less than five months from now. On that day, Afghanistan is due to hold a presidential election whose outcome and perceived fairness may determine whether most Afghans continue to view U.S. and NATO forces as friendly. By then, too, the 17,000 additional Marines and Army troops authorized by Obama last month should be deployed in the two southern Afghan provinces, Helmand and Kandahar, where the Taliban is strongest, along with scores of new American civilian advisers.
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My Comment:A well written piece. Sums up nicely the obstacles and problems that Afghanistan and their allies will have this year.