Afghanistan: Mission Not Accomplished

Ongoing ethnic conflict in Afghanistan seems to require extra peacekeeping troops. But the Pentagon is reluctant to sign on to the notion of a larger peacekeeping force that could inhibit ongoing military operations in the war on terror.

I interpret that to mean that Pentagon planners would prefer not to have to deal with difficult troop operations and messy and dangerous engagements, but instead keep their current system of calling in airstrikes from afar. More power to the British for putting their soldiers right in the thick of it.

Of course, having potentially non-aligned UN peacekeepers on the ground could also mean quicker reporting of errors and civilian deaths… not something a military planner wants to deal with.