By Adam Entous
The United States wants Afghan President Hamid Karzai to arrest and prosecute corrupt government officials and take other concrete measures to shore up his legitimacy, the top US military officer said on Wednesday, suggesting such steps were key to a troop increase.
Washington believes a successful counterinsurgency strategy hinges on winning Afghan public support for the government in Kabul and sidelining the Taliban.
But Admiral Mike Mullen, chairperson of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the re-elected president's legitimacy among the Afghan people was "at best, in question right now and, at worst, doesn't exist."
The leading options under consideration would add at least 10 000 to 15 000 troops Describing Washington as "extremely concerned" both by rampant corruption and Karzai's public standing, Mullen said a housecleaning was needed at all levels of government and should be spearheaded by the president.
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Karzai emerged this week as the victor more than two months after a fraud-marred presidential election and a resurgent Taliban prompted a White House war strategy review.
"He's got to take concrete steps to eliminate corruption," Mullen said. "That means that you have to rid yourself of those who are corrupt, you have to actually arrest and prosecute them. You have to show those visible signs.
"If we don't get a level of legitimacy and governance, then all the troops in the world aren't going to make any difference," Mullen told a conference in Washington.
After weeks of internal deliberations, President Barack Obama's advisers appear to be moving toward a hybrid war strategy combining counterinsurgency with counterterrorism in Afghanistan that would entail a troop increase next year.
'I don't see us getting near a tipping point' With an announcement still expected to be weeks away, the biggest question remaining is just how many more troops and trainers Obama will decide to deploy, officials say.
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