Airstrip One

The Long Haul

If you thought that our troops would only be there for six months, think again. The Economist is parroting calls for the force to be expanded. Quoting Afghanistan's PM it says:

Mr Karzai says that it is Afghanistan's provincial governors who want the ISAF's remit to be stretched. If the sort of arrangements now in place in Kabul were to be extended to the five or six next-largest cities, a force of perhaps 25,000 men would be needed.

Now, the provincial governors are appointed by Mr Karzai, and Mr Karzai was appointed by the "international community". So who really wants the troops to stay?