Surprise – US worried about Taliban-Pakistan militants
America’s deputy commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General David Rodriquez, said the scheduled rapidly deployed surge of US forces in that country will take more time than expected and it will be nine to 11 months before they are all on the ground. The general said the military’s logistical challenges were the crux of the problem. Officials added the planned withdrawal by July 2011 would not be affected by this stretch out. While in Washington, a Pentagon spokesman said “nothing has changed other than to figure out how to do it”. Meanwhile, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, on a visit to Kabul, offered his concerns about the “growing level of collusion” between Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda and other militants taking refuge in Pakistan. For more, read the AP
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