Afghanistan car bomb injures British troops, underscores transition hurdles
As Secretary of State John Kerry met with President Hamid Karzai and oversaw the symbolic handoff of a major military prison on a surprise visit to Afghanistan this week, a suicide bombing killed five police officers in the eastern city of Jalalabad Tuesday.
The Taliban quickly听, which also injured at least five Afghans at the police headquarters in the provincial capital, according to the Associated Press. 听In a separate incident today a car bomb blast 听on a patrol base in Helmand Province, according to the Guardian.听
The timing of the violence highlights the major security challenges that remain as the United States attempts to wind down a decade of intensive military presence in the country and hand control to the Afghans.
The attacks came just hours after Secretary Kerry and President Karzai held a rosy news conference in Kabul on the state of US-Afghan relations, which have undergone particular strain in recent weeks after听Karzai accused the US听of working with the Taliban to deliberately keep the country weak.
But during his trip, Kerry听, declaring that he and the president were 鈥渙n the same page鈥� when it came to Afghan security and reconciliation.
"I am confident the president [Karzai] does not believe the US has any interest except to see the Taliban come to the table to make peace and that we are completely cooperative with the government of Afghanistan with respect to the protection of their efforts and their people," Kerry told reporters.
Monday鈥檚 meeting was a pivot from the prickly interaction between Karzai and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Mr. Hagel鈥檚 own trip to the country earlier this month. During that visit, Hagel and Karzai abruptly called off a joint press conference after tense closed-door negotiations failed to yield progress on key diplomatic questions, including the transfer of a key US-controlled prison to Afghan hands.
The American military formally ceded control of all but a 鈥渟mall number鈥� of prisoners in that facility, known as Bagram Prison, to the Afghans during Kerry鈥檚 visit Monday.
This marks the formal completion of a transfer of 4,000 Bagram prisoners that began a year ago, but hit several snags over perceived security threats. The US military, however, will continue to hold in its custody around 50 high-level foreign prisoners considered 鈥渆nduring security threats,鈥� along with hundreds of Afghans arrested since the initial transfer deal was authorized last March,听.
Despite its limitations, however, the transfer has potent symbolic value for Afghanistan,听.
Bagram Prison was the most flagrant symbol of Mr. Karzai鈥檚 lack of control. Americans detained several thousand Afghans there, and Mr. Karzai had no power to release them. His effort to wrest the prison from the Americans began in earnest more than year ago, and听听at least twice, most recently two weeks ago, a day before Mr. Hagel鈥檚 first visit.
Each time, American military commanders backed out because of worries that the Afghans might release Taliban prisoners, who would return to the battlefield and endanger American soldiers. This time, despite those concerns, the transfer went forward.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about a shift that鈥檚 going on in how the U.S. is looking at what鈥檚 important,鈥� said one American official knowledgeable about detention issues. 鈥淲e have to look at the larger picture: What鈥檚 the U.S. strategic interest here?鈥澨�
Kerry rounded out his visit Tuesday by听听at the American Embassy in Kabul. There, he traded headers with the captain of the Afghan women鈥檚 national soccer team and lauded civic leaders preparing for the 2014 elections, according to the Associated Press.听
"You're engaged in a remarkable effort and the whole world is watching," Kerry said.听
