U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Carney, left, watches a local elder walk by after a meeting with villagers at the district center near Forward Operating Base Baylough in Zabul province, Afghanistan, March 20, 2009. Carney is assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Adam ManciniFrom The Washington Post:
Claims that the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan handles only security "have no place in this campaign," Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, wrote in a guidance paper sent to his troops.
Instead, he directed his command to "focus on governance, development and security concurrently" because "success in Afghanistan will not come from the sole pursuit of a security line of operations by military forces."
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My Comment: It is nice to see the main stream media finally covering a story that bloggers like Small Wars Journal, Captain's Quarters, and Michael Yon (plus many more) have been covering for years.