The Presidents Of The U.S., Afghanistan, And Pakistan Meet To Discuss War Strategy

President Barack Obama, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, second from right, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, left, and Vice President Joe Biden, walk away from the podium in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, after the president spoke following their trilateral meeting. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama Pleased After Leaders Agree To Fight Taliban -- Yahoo News/AP

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama declared he got the commitments he wanted Wednesday from the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to more aggressively fight Taliban and al-Qaida militants who are gaining power and sowing violence in their countries. "I'm pleased that these two men, elected leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, fully appreciate the seriousness of the threats that we face and have reaffirmed their commitment to confronting it," Obama said at the White House.

The presidents of the two countries stood at his side after a day of joint meetings. Obama is sending 21,000 fresh U.S. troops into Afghanistan to help with the anti-terror war.

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More News On The Meeting Of U.S., Afghan, And Pakistani Officials

U.S. Brokers 'Historic' Agreement Between Afghanistan, Pakistan -- ABC News
Obama: 'Lasting Commitment' to Pakistan, Afghanistan -- FOX News
Obama: Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S. working to defeat extremists -- CNN
Obama hails unity over al-Qaeda -- BBC
Obama says leaders agree to fight Taliban -- MSNBC
With Taliban Threat Rising, Obama Presses Visiting Allies -- New York Times
Obama Calls Meetings with Pakistani, Afghan Counterparts 'Extraordinarily Productive' -- Voice Of America
Obama: We Want To Stop Civilian Casualties -- CBS News
U.S. presses Pakistan, Afghanistan for cooperation against militants -- L.A. Times
Obama pleased with Afghanistan-Pakistan summit -- USA Today
Obama says U.S., Pakistan, Afghanistan face common foe -- Reuters
Barack Obama demands Afghanistan and Pakistan unite against Taliban -- The Telegraph
Obama urges cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan leaders -- The Guardian
Afghan massacre overshadows US talks -- Independent
Civilian deaths in US airstrike overshadow Obama's Afghan summit -- Times Online
One aim of US-Afghan-Pakistani summit: a parade for aid -- Christian Science Monitor

Porous Pakistani Border Could Hinder U.S.

A Pakistani logistics tactician of the Taliban. Zackary Canepari for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — President Obama is pouring more than 20,000 new troops into Afghanistan this year for a fighting season that the United States military has called a make-or-break test of the allied campaign in Afghanistan.

But if Taliban strategists have their way, those forces will face a stiff challenge, not least because of one distinct Taliban advantage: the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan barely exists for the Taliban, who are counting on the fact that American forces cannot reach them in their sanctuaries in Pakistan.

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My Comment: This Taliban officer sounds very cocky and sure of himself on the coming war against U.S./NATO/and Afghan forces. If even half of this story is accurate .... it tells me that the AfghanPak war is about to enter a new and dangerous phase.

Obama To Meet Afghan, Pakistani Leaders On Strategy

(July, 2008) Then Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama walks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other officials at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday. According to Mr. Karzai's spokesman, Mr. Obama and Karzai met for two hours and discussed issues of terrorism, corruption, and counternarcotics. The meeting is part of a larger foreign tour in which Obama is expected to meet with leaders in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Germany, France, and Britain. (Presidential Palace/AP)

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama presents his strategy for defeating al Qaeda to the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan on Wednesday amid growing U.S. concern that it is losing the war and neither is a reliable ally.

The White House meetings with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are likely to be cagey affairs -- both visitors have been heavily criticized by Obama's administration and are also wary of each other.

Equally, Obama's new strategy for defeating al Qaeda and Taliban militants operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan has not been universally welcomed in either country.

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My Comment: I must confess that I am not optimistic on this meeting. All three leaders talk about defeating the Taliban, but their actions fall far short.

President Obama does not give the commanders in the field the soldiers that they have requested. Afghan President Karzai has close family members implicated in Afghanistan's narco-trade and general corruption, and has allied himself to some brutal warlords. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari does not have the loyalty of the military and intelligence services .... and the recent battles against the Taliban have been both a political and military disaster.

To defeat the Taliban, we need leaders like this .... but alas (for now) this is not the case.

Pak General Wants Drones Grounded In Taliban Cease-Fire Deal

MQ-9 Reaper (Image from 3DAllusions)

From The Danger Room:

A top Pakistani general wants the U.S. to stop sending drones and troops after the militants undermining the governments in Kabul and Islamabad. It’s a suggestion that’s unlikely to be met warmly in the White House or the Pentagon, where frustrations are growing with Pakistan’s limp response to domestic radicals. Just this week, Islamabad’s army took its sweet time responding to a Taliban offensive that put the militants in temporary control of a district just 60 miles from the Pakistani capital.

Pakistani military and political leaders have begged, over and over again, for an end to the U.S. killer drone campaign credited with taking out dozens of militants. But this is, to my knowledge the first time a leading official has called for stopping the drone war — as well as the larger conflict against the Taliban.

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My Comment: This is not going to happen. With Allied soldiers being killed on a daily basis in Afghanistan, this "request" to stop targeted killings is not going to go over well with military commanders and the White House itself. This request from a Pakistani General to stop the fight is not going to be accepted.