Afghanistan tired of foreign forces sleeping on its SOFA

With the surge's success in bringing military (but not political) stability to Iraq, the spike of violence in Afghanistan led to calls for a similar surge there. But it turns out a status of forces agreement (SOFA) -- which is proving to be somewhat troublesome in Iraq -- is what Afghan leaders really want.

On the heels of a NATO air strike last week that the UN says killed 90 civillians, Afghan leaders are calling for a review of foreign troops operating in the country. Officials want a SOFA to regulate the responsibilities of international units and are seeking an end to "air strikes on civilian targets, uncoordinated house searches and illegal detention of Afghan civilians."

President Hamid Karzai, at least, wants foreign outfits to coordinate with Afghan troops and local authorities, and thinks the operation ought to shift its focus next door to Pakistan:

The war against terrorism is not in Afghan villages,” he said. “The war against terrorism is elsewhere, and that’s where the war should go."

While there is some good news to be had, things have been generally looking bleak in Afghanistan all summer. While nearly seven out of 10 experts surveyed in FP's recent Terrorism Index supported redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, it's clear that more troops alone aren't going to solve the problem.