Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai To Visit Washington Amid Reminder That Osama bin Laden Allegedly Hid In Afghanistan After The Sept 11 Attacks
U.S. President Barack Obama
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
By Kathy Wray Coleman, Editor of the DeterminerWeekly.Com and
the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog and Media Network
White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes and Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan Lieutenant General Douglas Lute held a teleconference with reporters today to discuss the upcoming visit of the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, to Washington on Monday. In March, President Barack Obama visited the war zone of Kabul, Afghanistan exhibiting no praise for Karzai and speaking publicly in a solemn tone as he sought cooperation by Karzai and his leadership team in bringing the current war that began there in 2001 as to U.S. affiliation to a legitimate close. Hence, Karzai's upcoming visit to the U.S. is viewed by some as a cooperative mission.
"We have a very broad cooperation across our governments," Rhodes told the DeterminerWeekly.Com and the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog and Media Network. "President Karzai and his delegation of Afghans will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will kick off these meetings, and he will meet with members of Congress and President Obama."
President since 2004, Karzai won reelection to a second five-year term in 2009. Though credited with improving U.S. relations with his country since the 2001 September 11 attacks on America, which were allegedly orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, who was said to be in the country following the attacks under asylum, Karzai had previously come under fire from Obama for not taking a strong enough stance against government corruption there.
The United States, under the leadership of then President George W. Bush, took a leading role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan since the Sept. 11 attacks, giving billions of dollars for reconstruction for military, educational, governmental and other purposes. Bush and his wife Laura visited the country in 2006 seeking to enhance U.S. relations there. After the 2001 attacks the U.S. launched its current war in Afghanistan via Operation Enduring Freedom. This major military operation was aimed at removing the Taliban government from power, which has since occurred to some extent, and to capture or kill Al Qaeda members. Karzai's upcoming visit is in part to win U.S. support for talks with the Taliban in efforts to rid Afghanistan of Taliban insurgents.
Last year Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, partly for his skill in enhancing U.S. relations in the Middle East, though some criticized the gesture as too quick and too soon since America's first Black president had been in office at the time under a year. Obama has taken heat from some U.S. media pundits for saying that he does not support the harsh allegations that brand Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, a major affiliate with Afghanistan's heroin drug trade.
Asked during today's teleconference if the Obama administration discounts the allegations lodged at Karzai's brother, Lute essentially said, yes.
"We have no intelligence that leads us to believe that he [Karzai's brother] is criminally involved," said Lute. "And President Karzai in his inaugural address pledged steps to address government corruption."
There were over 65,000 troops in Afghanistan from 42 countries in 2003, with the U.S. supplying some 30,000 at that time. And to date there are some 1,058 U. S. causalities.
The Obama administration has pledged to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan this summer, though the extent of such efforts remains to be seen.
"We have identified July 20 as the date to begin a transition to leave Afghanistan," said Lute.
Conspicuously absent from the teleconference on Karzai's upcoming visit was any mentioning of Osama bin Laden.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
By Kathy Wray Coleman, Editor of the DeterminerWeekly.Com and
the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog and Media Network
White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes and Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan Lieutenant General Douglas Lute held a teleconference with reporters today to discuss the upcoming visit of the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, to Washington on Monday. In March, President Barack Obama visited the war zone of Kabul, Afghanistan exhibiting no praise for Karzai and speaking publicly in a solemn tone as he sought cooperation by Karzai and his leadership team in bringing the current war that began there in 2001 as to U.S. affiliation to a legitimate close. Hence, Karzai's upcoming visit to the U.S. is viewed by some as a cooperative mission.
"We have a very broad cooperation across our governments," Rhodes told the DeterminerWeekly.Com and the Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog and Media Network. "President Karzai and his delegation of Afghans will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will kick off these meetings, and he will meet with members of Congress and President Obama."
President since 2004, Karzai won reelection to a second five-year term in 2009. Though credited with improving U.S. relations with his country since the 2001 September 11 attacks on America, which were allegedly orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, who was said to be in the country following the attacks under asylum, Karzai had previously come under fire from Obama for not taking a strong enough stance against government corruption there.
The United States, under the leadership of then President George W. Bush, took a leading role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan since the Sept. 11 attacks, giving billions of dollars for reconstruction for military, educational, governmental and other purposes. Bush and his wife Laura visited the country in 2006 seeking to enhance U.S. relations there. After the 2001 attacks the U.S. launched its current war in Afghanistan via Operation Enduring Freedom. This major military operation was aimed at removing the Taliban government from power, which has since occurred to some extent, and to capture or kill Al Qaeda members. Karzai's upcoming visit is in part to win U.S. support for talks with the Taliban in efforts to rid Afghanistan of Taliban insurgents.
Last year Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, partly for his skill in enhancing U.S. relations in the Middle East, though some criticized the gesture as too quick and too soon since America's first Black president had been in office at the time under a year. Obama has taken heat from some U.S. media pundits for saying that he does not support the harsh allegations that brand Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, a major affiliate with Afghanistan's heroin drug trade.
Asked during today's teleconference if the Obama administration discounts the allegations lodged at Karzai's brother, Lute essentially said, yes.
"We have no intelligence that leads us to believe that he [Karzai's brother] is criminally involved," said Lute. "And President Karzai in his inaugural address pledged steps to address government corruption."
There were over 65,000 troops in Afghanistan from 42 countries in 2003, with the U.S. supplying some 30,000 at that time. And to date there are some 1,058 U. S. causalities.
The Obama administration has pledged to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan this summer, though the extent of such efforts remains to be seen.
"We have identified July 20 as the date to begin a transition to leave Afghanistan," said Lute.
Conspicuously absent from the teleconference on Karzai's upcoming visit was any mentioning of Osama bin Laden.
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