WikiLeaks highlights U.S. hurdles in run-up to Afghanistan withdrawal
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While Sunday's leak of more than 90,000 U.S. military documents divulged little new information, it highlights U.S.forces' uphill climb as they prepare for the July, 2011 deadline to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan.
The leak, posted on a website known as Wikileaks, came at a time when the White House is facing pressure from an increasingly war-weary public to make sure it is on track with the handover of security duties to Afghan forces.
Among other things, the documents point to a high level of Afghan civilian casualties, prompting human rights organization Amnesty International on Monday to call for a more coherent system for dealing with civilian deaths.
Some experts argue those issues have been rectified -- the U.S. Army has taken steps to limit civilian deaths including the implementation of rules prohibiting U.S. forces from shooting before taking fire, which were put in place by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.
But his successor, Gen. David Petraeus, is under pressure to ease those restrictions, as they are seen as hindering U.S. combat effectiveness.
Still, the WikiLeaks' expose should not be used to argue that Washington's strategy is doomed to fail, some experts argued.
"The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has been refined over the last year and new U.S. troops and civilian resources are pouring into the country," said Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow on South Asia at the Heritage Foundation.
But two incidents this month in which Afghan soldiers shot dead two U.S. civilian trainers and three British troops have raised questions about loyalty within the Afghan army's rank and file.
Dex Torricke-Barton, a security consultant for the United Nations, said many are not being properly vetted.
"What we are seeing is the result of the pressure that is being put on U.S. trainers and the U.S. army to expand the size of the Afghan army very quickly," he said.
Such incidents also demonstrate the ease with which the Taliban is able to recruit members of what he said was Afghanistan's underfunded army.
The surge has shifted the war's momentum and destroying the Taliban now trumps winning Afghan hearts and minds, which has led to riskier tactics and increased civilian casualties, he contended.
"That has a radicalizing effect on the soldiers who are joining the Afghan security forces," he said.
"These are people who have friends and family in these towns and villages and these places simply cannot be treated as though they are a battleground."
Heavy reliance on air power and drone strikes has damaged many communities and is causing many civilian casualties, he said.
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