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From the New York Times
quote:Some American military planners expressed private frustration today aboutthe unattractive array of military options in war-torn Afghanistan, where destitute refugees were reported to be in flight toward the sealed borders of Iran and Pakistan.
As a result, the Bush administration was being forced to broaden the scope of its planning for a possible humanitarian disaster while also lowering somewhat expectations for a major military campaign, officials said. Expectations had been raised by a steady buildup of American troops and aircraft in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere.
"The people of Afghanistan are already beginning to suffer the humanitarian consequences from this — just in anticipation of events," a senior Pentagon official said, referring to possible military strikes against Mr. bin Laden's network.
-Later-
Administration officials said today that they were urgently trying to marshal food aid for the Afghan people.Just a week ago, White House officials were opposed to efforts to send more aid, saying it would fall into the hands of Taliban fighters.
Of course this comes on the heels of the revealing of several lies the Bush administration has told through the crisis so far, and the virtual guarantee from Sec. Defense Rumsfield that more would be coming. But still, the mere fact that the US hasn't gone Armageddon on afghanistan yet is refreshing. |
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