Washington, October 23: The Obama administration and officials from the administration of former US President George W. Bush have pointed a finger of blame at each other over the controversial US-led war in Afghanistan.
As the southeast Asian nation is suffering from a devastating eight-year war, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Thursday accused the Bush administration of neglecting Afghanistan for years.
“The vice president was for seven years not focused on Afghanistan,” Gibbs said.
His remarks came after ex-vice president Dick Cheney, an anti-Obama icon, earlier on Wednesday said President Barack Obama “must stop dithering” on troop decisions.
“What vice president Cheney calls dithering, the president calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform and the American public,” Gibbs added.
President Obama is considering whether to send extra forces to the war-torn nation after US and NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal requested for tens of thousands of more troops.
The United States invaded Afghanistan when Bush came to power in 2001 under the pretext of killing or capturing those who attacked the World Trade Centre in September 11, 2001.The first military power in the world says the mission, which has been pursued with a number of other powerful countries, has so far failed to kill or arrest the main militant commanders.
The Obama spokesman also strongly criticized the past administration, saying, “I think we’ve all seen what happens when somebody doesn’t take that responsibility seriously.”
Cheney’s reproach of the Obama administration was the latest criticism after former veep blamed Obama for endangering lives of Americans by ordering the closure of the notorious detention center, the Guantanamo Bay.
Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had said earlier that the Bush team had not asked tough questions about Afghanistan, leaving Obama to start examining the war from the beginning.
In response, Cheney said the Bush team dug into every aspect of Afghan and Pakistan policy in late 2008, and briefed Obama’s team before he took office.
About troop surge, President Obama has already ordered 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Currently, the number of US troops deployed in Afghanistan stands at 65,000, which is due to reach 68,000 by the end of year.
Despite the presence of over 100,000 US and NATO ‘boots on the ground’, the escalated militancy has made the current year the deadliest yet for foreign forces, as well as for Afghan civilians, the main victims of the conflict.
—–Agencies