Call for extra Afghanistan troops

A new twist in the calculus linking military action (i.e. security) with the success of development and humanitarian aid.
This BBC article quotes NATO's Commander in Afghanistan, General Richards, as he turns the table on the civilian actors for not having done enough:

"We need to put more military effort into the country," he added. "We must apply ourselves more energetically for one more year in order to win."

"Military effort alone" was not enough to win the battle, Gen Richards said.

"Our civilian partners must improve the speed and scale of their reconstruction and development effort, sufficient to keep pace with the people's expectations," he added.

He added that he would not "conceal our frustration" with the speed of the DfID's (Department for International Development) delivery on the ground as well as "an occasional reluctance to join with us as necessary planning partners".


The article goes on to present a somewhat defensive DfID who underlines that they have been in fact quite successful....