The Afghan government will take part in a U.S. strategic review of the war in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai said Sunday in a sign of increased cooperation at a time of strained relations.
The review, ordered by Obama last week, will look at both military and non-military aspects of U.S. policy as American and NATO troops struggle in Afghanistan against a growing Taliban insurgency that also threatens Pakistan. The review is to be completed before a NATO summit in April.
Karzai recently sent President Barack Obama a letter with a proposal that Afghanistan join a war review currently under way.
The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said at a joint news conference that Obama had "welcomed the suggestion."
Karzai said his foreign minister, Dadfar Rangin Spanta, would head the delegation. The U.S. has several reviews of the situation in Afghanistan under way, and it was not immediately clear which one Afghan officials would take part in.
Spiraling violence
The U.S. is studying the situation in Afghanistan at a time of spiraling violence. Taliban attacks have spiked the last three years, and militants have swept up wide areas of countryside that the Afghan government has not been able to control.
Obama has said the U.S. will increase its focus on Afghanistan and draw down forces in Iraq under his watch. The U.S. is contemplating sending up to 30,000 more troops to bolster the 33,000 already in Afghanistan.
Karzai said he was "very very thankful that President Obama has accepted the proposal of Afghanistan joining a strategic review of the war against terrorism".
Holbrooke is visiting the Afghan capital after a four-day trip to neighboring Pakistan. He said Obama welcomed Karzai's suggestion to participate in the review, which came after a similar request from Pakistan last week.
The envoy has made few public comments during his trip which will end in India, but said the visit to Kabul was "to reaffirm America's commitment to the effort in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al-Qaida".
"We've come here to listen," Holbrooke said.
Obama has pledged to make Afghanistan a foreign policy priority and either Holbrooke or one of his deputies would visit Kabul at least once a month, the envoy said.
Civilian casualties
Washington and its allies have repeatedly spoken of the need for good governance to combat the insurgency. Obama last week described Karzai's government as "very detached" from its people.
Karzai has hit back, complaining time and again about the accidental killing of Afghans by international troops. The United Nations says 455 civilians were killed in air strikes last year.
Both Karzai and Holbrooke said they welcomed a deal between the Afghan Defense Ministry and international forces to include more Afghans in the planning and execution of counter-terrorism missions, a measure intended to reduce civilian casualties.
Holbrooke also said he supported the decision of the Afghan electoral commission to hold presidential elections on Aug. 20, by which time Washington hopes enough extra troops will be in place to secure the polls.
Afghan opposition parties have questioned the decision to hold the polls then as the Afghan constitution says elections should be held by May 21, calling into question Karzai's legitimacy if he stays in office beyond that date.
The electoral law states however that the presidential term is five years, meaning Karzai should be able to remain in office either until October, five years after he won the last election, or until December, five years after he took office.
Diplomats say it is vital the issue is cleared up before May and that either Karzai stays on as caretaker president, or someone else takes office until the elections, which would be hard to bring forward due to poor security.
The decision to hold the elections in August "has the full backing of the Afghan government", Karzai said.
"You should be assured that we will take care of all issues and especially we will be very mindful of the issue of legitimacy and stability of the country," he said.
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