Gates hints at compromise strategy on Afghanistan

OSHKOSH, Wisconsin (AFP) - President Barack Obama is eyeing a compromise strategy on Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Robert Gates suggested, the other day, after the US envoy in Kabul warned against troop reinforcements.
Gates said Obama was seeking to balance a need to show a commitment to Afghanistan with conveying to President Hamid Karzais corruption-tainted government that Americas military presence is not indefinite.
How do you signal resolve and at the same time signal you are not going to be there forever? he asked, adding it was a challenge to get that balance right.
The administration was examining how to combine some of the best features of several of the options to maximum good effect, Gates said, adding I think were getting toward the end of the process.
An administration official said Obama still had to iron out concerns about timelines for turning responsibility over to the Afghan government.
The president obviously feels strongly that any successful strategy would have to include a clearer understanding of what we would expect from the Afghan government on governance and corruption, he said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Robert Gates vowed to launch a sweeping effort to tackle the growing threat posed by homemade bombs in Afghanistan, the number one killer of US and NATO troops.
With more than 80 percent of US casualties caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Gates said he decided to set up a special task force in the Pentagon that would look for new ways to counter the threat and pull together an array of initiatives.
I have decided I need to focus my attention on this problem, Gates told reporters on his plane en route to Wisconsin, calling the threat one of his top priorities.
We have a lot of different elements in the Pentagon working on this issue, he said. My concern has been whether all of this is being properly integrated, and prioritized and aligned.
The Defence secretarys announcement comes amid rising casualties in Afghanistan and complaints from some lawmakers in Congress that the Pentagons approach to IEDs has been disjointed.