Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged on Sunday that a NATO drive into Taliban territory in Kandahar province would only begin after thorough consultations with local tribal leaders, in a bid to strengthen support in the volatile south.
Mr. Karzai's remarks to about 2,000 officials and tribal leaders in the Taliban's spiritual heartland appeared to be part of a campaign to shore up his nationalist credentials following a speech last week in which he lashed out at what he called foreign interference in last year's presidential election.
“There will be no military operation without your cooperation and consultation,” Mr. Karzai told the gathering in Kandahar, while the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, looked on. Most of the 30,000 new troops promised by President Barack Obama will be headed to Kandahar city and the surrounding province. Dates for the southward push haven't been announced and there is no indication that Mr. Karzai would have final say over when it begins.
