Big win for neo-cons: Obama to make American taxpayers permanent slaves of pedophiles, warlords, and profiteers in Afghanistan until 2024+

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8/19/11, "US troops may stay in Afghanistan until 2024," UK Telegraph, Ben Farmer, Kabul,

"America and Afghanistan are close to signing a strategic pact which would allow thousands of United States troops to remain in the country

• until at least 2024"

"The agreement would allow not only military trainers to stay to build up the Afghan army and police, but also American special forces soldiers and air power to remain.

The prospect of such a deal has already been met with anger among Afghanistan’s neighbours including, publicly, Iran and, privately, Pakistan.

It also risks being rejected by the Taliban and derailing any attempt to coax them to the negotiating table, according to one senior member of Hamid Karzai’s peace council....

Both Afghan and American officials said that they hoped to sign the pact before the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in December. Barack Obama and Hamid Karzai agreed last week to escalate the negotiations and their national security advisers will meet in Washington in September....

America would not be granted its own bases, and would be a guest on Afghan bases...

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6/13/11, "Secret US and Afghanistan talks could see troops stay for decades," UK Guardian, J. Burke

"A third contentious issue is the legal basis on which troops might remain. Afghan officials are keen that any foreign forces in their country are subject to their laws. The Afghans also want to have ultimate authority over foreign troops' use and deployment.

"There should be no parallel decision-making structures ... All has to be in accordance with our sovereignty and constitution," Spanta said....

Senior Nato officials argue that a permanent international military presence will demonstrate to insurgents that the west is not going to abandon Afghanistan...."...

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Group of more than 12 Democrat mayors from mid to large US cities object to Obama actions in Afghanistan.

6/17/11, "US Mayors To Push For First Anti-War Resolution Since Vietnam | Common Dreams," Sam Stein

"As the Obama administration readies plans for U.S. offices in Afghanistan, it’s not just national office-holders who are demanding an expedited drawdown.

On Friday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors will introduce a resolution calling for a quicker end to the war and a speedier withdrawal of troops. If it passes — a vote will come on Monday — it will be the first time the body has formally called for an end to an military engagement since Vietnam.

The mayors’ formal address of the conflict — which is still being debated, politically, at the federal level — illustrates how widespread skepticism about Afghanistan has become."...

via Drudge