Los Alamos welcomes student bot builders washingtonpresidentbarackobamaandafghanpresidenthamidkarzaiassertedwednesdaythatprogressisbeingmadetowardcrushingthetaliban-ledinsurgency,butnewstudiesontheafghanarmyandpoliceraiseseriousdoubtsaboutwhetherthestrategycansucceedbeforeau.S.Troopdrawdownbeginsinjuly2011.Flankedbykarzaiatawhitehousenewsconference,obamaurgedamericanstohavepatiencewiththejointstrategythatheunveiledindecembertostabilizeafghanistan,defeattheinsurgencyandpreventthecountrysreversiontoanalqaidasanctuary.Hewarned,however,thatthereisgoingtobesomehardfightingoverthenextcoupleofmonths.Heapparentlywasreferringtothesummerfightingseasonthatstraditionallyrackedafghanistanandthatthisyearwillseeadrivetoclearthetalibanfromthesoutherncityofkandaharthatsbeingsupplementedbyanadditional30,000u.S.Troops.Thejointnewsconferencewasthepublichighpointofatightlyscriptedfour-dayvisitinwhichkarzaiwasfeted,praisedandlavishedwiththefullred-carpettreatmentbytheu.S.Administration,whichisdeterminedtoresetarelationshipscarredbyfeudingandanti-americantiradesbytheafghanleaderamidrecordbloodshed.Theadministrationconcludedthatthetensionswereanobstacletoafghancooperationonanumberoffrontscentraltoobamasstrategy,especiallytheoperationstodrivethetalibanfromtheirstrongholdsinthesouthernprovincesofhelmandandkandahar,turnthemovertogovernmentcontrolandjump-starteconomicdevelopment.Moreover,u.S.Officialswanttoreassurekarzaiandordinaryafghansaswellasregionalpowersthatalreadyarejockeyingforinfluencethattheu.S.Troopdrawdowndoesntmeanthattheunitedstateswillabandonafghanistanasitdidafterthe1979-89sovietoccupation,whichwasfollowedbyavicious12-yearcivilwar.Wearenotsuddenlyasofjuly2011finishedwithafghanistan,obamasaid.Thisisalong-termpartnershipthatisnotsimplydefinedbyourmilitarypresence.Obamaandkarzaisoughttopresentaportraitofunity,sayingthatprogressisbeingmadebytheu.S.-Ledcounterinsurgencycampaign,byanamericanefforttoavertciviliancasualtiesandbykarzaionhisvowstocleanupnarcotics-fueledcorruptionandboostpublicservices,theruleoflawandgoodgovernance.Oursolidaritytodaysendsanunmistakablemessagetothosewhowouldstandinthewayofafghanistansprogress,obamasaid.Theywilltrytodriveusapart,butwewillpartnerwiththeafghanpeopleforthelongterm,towardafutureofgreatersecurity,prosperity,justiceandprogress.Andiamabsolutelyconvincedwewillsucceed.Obamaconcededthattherearegoingtobetensionsinsuchacomplicatedanddifficultenvironmentandinasituationinwhich,ontheground,bothafghansandamericansaremakingenormoussacrifices.However,hesaid,alotofperceivedtensionsbetweenthesidesweresimplyoverstated.Itsarealrelationship,karzaiagreed.Itsbasedonsomeveryhardrealities.Weareinacampaignagainstterrorismtogether.Therearedaysthatwearehappy.Therearedaysthatwearenothappy.Thebottomlineisthatwearemuchmorestronglyrelatedtoeachotherthanweeverwerebefore.Thatisagoodmessagethatiwilltakebacktotheafghanpeople.U.S.-Ledinternationaleffortshavemadeconsiderableprogressinhelpingtobringstability,education,healthcareanddevelopmenttomanypartsofthecountryof32millionpeoplesincethe2001invasiondrovethetalibanandalqaidaleadershipintoneighboringpakistan.However,thetalibanandalliedgroupsaidedbyalqaidaandtheformerbushadministrationsdiversionofu.S.Forces,timeandmoneytoiraqstagedamajorcomebackthatssurgedasu.S.Commandersstruggletoimplementobamasstrategy.Newreportsontheafghanarmyandpoliceeachacrucialelementofobamasplantotransferresponsibilityfordistrictsclearedofinsurgentstoafghangovernmentcontrolastheu.S.Troopdrawdownbeginsunderscoretheenormoushurdlesthatpersist.Areportreleasedwednesdaybytheinternationalcrisisgroup,arespectedconflict-preventionorganization,saysthattheafghanarmyissuffusedwithcorruption,desertions,ethnictensionsanddisputesbetweenitshighestleaders.Thereportwarnsthatobamasplantoexpandtheafghannationalarmyto240,000troopsfrom90,000by2013couldworsenthoseproblemsandriskthearmysdisintegrationafterthewithdrawalofinternationalforces.Areportbytherandcorp.Researchcenterontheafghancivilorderpolice,aneliteunitthatsplayingakeyroleinhelmandandkandahar,foundthatthecontingentisinfectedwiththesameproblemsofcorruptionandineptitudethatplagueotherpoliceforces.Ancopmembershavesetupcheckpointstoshakedownresidents,beenkickedoutoftheunitfordruguseandbeenshunnedinsomeareasasoutsiders,accordingtou.S.Officialsbriefedontherandcorp.Analysis,whospoketomcclatchyonlyontheconditionofanonymitybecauseofthesensitivityoftheissue.Relationsbetweenkabulandwashingtonhavebeenbrittlesinceobamatookofficelastyear,shakenbyu.S.Criticismofkarzaisfailuretocrackdownonofficialcorruption,hisdubiousdependability,hisrelianceonapatronagenetworkofwarlordsandfamilymembers,andthemassivefraudthatmarredhisre-electiontoanothertermlastaugust.Forhispart,karzaihascomplainedaboutciviliancasualtiescausedbyu.S.Militaryoperationsandlaunchedtiradesagainsttheunitedstatesandhisotherinternationalbackers,reflectinghisunpopularityamongordinaryafghans,whoareangrythatthewarisstillragingnearlynineyearsaftertheu.S.-Ledinvasion.Wehaveaninterestinreducingciviliancasualtiesnotbecauseitsaproblemforpresidentkarzai.Wehaveaninterestinreducingciviliancasualtiesbecauseidontwantcivilianskilled,saidobama,whonotedthatthetalibanhavekilledmorecivilians.Apentagonreportlastmonthsaidtheoveralllevelofviolenceinafghanistanrose87percentfromfebruary2009tomarch2010.Morethan1,760internationaltroopsincluding1,068americanshavebeenkilled,accordingtoicasualties.Org,awebsitethattrackscasualtiesiniraqandafghanistan.Tensofthousandsofafghansecurityforces,officialsandcivilianshavebeenkilledandwounded.Therearecurrentlysome102,000troopsfrom46nations,includingtheunitedstates,inafghanistan.Therewillbesome98,000u.S.Troopstherewhenthesurgeiscompletedlaterthissummer.Onthewebreconstitutingtheafghannationalarmyreportmorefrommcclatchyaskarzaiarrives,whitehousestressesupbeatpartnershippentagonissuesdownbeatassessmentonafghanistanafghansprotestafteru.S.Militarykillsparliamentarianskinfollowafghanistandevelopmentsatmcclatchyscheckpointkabulfollownationalsecuritynewsatmcclatchysnukes&spooks 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