General Petraeus Lays out Clear Benchmarks on Afghanistan

Lisa Curtis / September 17, 2010

General Petraeus laid out clear-cut benchmarks that would indicate signs of progress with the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan in the lead up to the December review at an inter-agency meeting at the White House on Monday, according to today’s New York Times. In addition to the number of Afghan forces trained and military operations against key Taliban strongholds, he pointed to local security initiatives run by the Afghan police, the pace of reintegration of former members of the Taliban, and success of attacks carried out by U.S. Special Operations Forces as indicators to watch in the next few months.

Petraeus predicted that by December, when a thorough review of the U.S. strategy is due, President Obama would be able to point to signs of progress, such as strengthened security in and around Kabul and Kandahar City and the reintegration of a significant number of Taliban fighters into the political mainstream. (more…)