U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is working:Panetta

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U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta seemed optimistic on Wednesday about plans to transition security to indigenous forces in Afghanistan beginning next year. “Our strategy is right, our strategy is working,” Panetta said after a meeting of NATO defense officials in Brussels. Afghan troop levels, which currently stand at around 337,000, are scheduled to peak at 352,000 in October before gradually falling to 230,000 after 2014. The U.S. estimates it will cost between $4 billion to $6 billion a year to field such an army. "We cannot and we will not abandon Afghanistan," Panetta added, after indicating the U.S. would provide $4 billion a year to fund Afghan security forces through 2014. However, Panetta also said another $1.3 billion would be needed from NATO allies. The primary focus of the gathering in Brussels was to prepare for next month's NATO summit in Chicago in which the international community will discuss Afghanistan’s security concerns after NATO combat operations end in 2014. Panetta’s rosy assessment comes on the heels of a wave of coordinated attacks the Taliban launched on Sunday against seven sites in four cities, including rocket attacks in Kabul on the Afghan parliament building and several Western embassies. Differing perspectives emerged regarding the insurgent offensive, with U.S. military leaders putting a positive spin on the situation, praising Afghan security personnel for reacting quickly and minimizing casualties. Critics, on the other hand, believe the attacks illustrate that the security situation in Afghanistan is as bad as it's been since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. They also claim insurgents have infiltrated Afghan intelligence and have proven they are still capable of striking at the heart of the Afghan capital, which is supposedly one of the safest places in the country. Max Boot contends in a Wall Street Journal piece that the U.S. must stay the course and provide more than the $4 billion per year pledged by the Obama administration - which he considers a mistake that can and must be avoided: If we avoid such unforced errors and stick with the plans developed by Gens. Stanley McChrystal, David Petraeus and John Allen, we have a good chance to maintain a pro-Western regime in power. The Taliban are too weak to defeat us or our Afghan allies. But we can defeat ourselves. Conn Hallinan disagrees and outlines a much different strategy in Counterpunch, which includes the following: * A ceasefire and stand down of all offensive operations, including the highly unpopular “night raids.” * Shelving any long-term plans to keep combat troops or Special Forces in the country, and shutting down the drone war in Pakistan. * Urging the formation of a national unity government and calling for a constitutional convention. * Sponsoring a regional conference aimed at keeping Afghanistan neutral and non-aligned. * Insuring aid continues to flow into Afghanistan, particularly aimed at upgrading infrastructure, improving agriculture, and expanding education.