New York Times demands escalation of Afghanistan war

The newspaper notes the gloomy prognoses of military and intelligence officials and quotes Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as saying 2009 will be an even tougher year.

The Times also points to the breakdown in central authority and the Talibans rising power. It refers to the rampant corruption of the regime of President Hamid Karzai, whose brother may be involved in the heroin trade.

The editorial warns that unless these and other problems are addressed, the war in Afghanistan could be lost.

The United States will also have to send more troops into Afghanistan and persuade its allies to send more, the editorial declares. The Times criticizes Americas NATO allies for doing too little and attaching far too many strings to their military involvement.

The Bush administration must drop its resistance to working with tribal leaders to fight the Taliban. The time for worrying about undermining President Karzai is long past. Reconciliation talks should also be explored with members of the Talibanif they forsake violence, the newspaper writes.