Doubt about reliability of Afghan partners in war

The shooting deaths of two U.S. military advisers in the Afghan capital and the quick decision to pull coalition personnel from all government ministries injected a sobering measure of doubt about the reliability of the most important U.S. ally in the war.

The Pentagon condemned what it called the murder of the two American officers, but said it was committed to working closely with the Afghans to counter violent extremism and to stabilize the country. 

In a written statement, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's press secretary said Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak called Panetta on Saturday to offer his condolences and to apologize. 

"Secretary Panetta appreciated the call and urged the Afghan government to take decisive action to protect coalition forces and curtail the violence in Afghanistan after a challenging week in the country," spokesman George Little said. 

He said Wardak told Panetta that Afghan President Hamid Karzai was assembling religious leaders, parliamentarians, Supreme Court justices and other senior officials "to take urgent steps" to stop the violence. 

The Monitor's Weekly News Quiz for Feb. 18-25, 2012

Even if Saturday's killer turns out not to be an Afghan, the deaths compound a perception of insecurity in the heart of Kabul after a series of recent security failures and Afghan outrage over U.S. burning of Muslim holy books. The Taliban claimed responsibility and said the attack, was in retaliation for what U.S. officials have said was the inadvertent burning of Afghan religious materials, including Qurans, at Bagram air base north of Kabul. 

The White House had no immediate comment on the killings. 

Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. and coalition commander in Afghanistan, said the killer's actions "will not go unanswered." Citing security reasons, he recalled all coalition personnel from Afghan ministries. 

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