How Decentralized Is the Afghanistan Strategy? « The Washington Independent
Jul 31, 2020147.7K Shares6.7M Views
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) wants to know about the decentralization of the strategy. His concern is that it’s not decentralized enough, even as Afghan human rights officials fear it’s too decentralized. “I know there’s tensions in creating militias not loyal to the central government,” Sessions said. “But it seems to me we’ve got to take some risks.”
McChrystal responded, “I think we are gettingit right.” The commander is worried about balancing “Afghan’s unique sensitivity to militias” with a history of local security. While the Community Defense Initiative will support some existing local militia groups, “We don’t want to create militias that will move around the battlefield,” McChrystal said. “There is still a need for a very credible Afghan national army.” Talking to Afghan interlocutors about the Community Defense Initiative, McChrystal said he frequently hears, “Yes, but be very careful.”
Eikenberry agreed: “There’s a balance here. It’s the absence of a coherent state of Afghanistan that facilitated the rise of the Taliban” and the arrival of al-Qaeda. At the same time, the ambassador said the strategy was trying to broaden ministerial reach out in the provinces. “Trying to get that proper balance right is essential.”
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