A New York Times report quoting the outgoing American ambassador, Cameron Munter, says that he found the drone strike-driven US policy unacceptable and complained to his colleagues that “he didn’t realise his main job was to kill people”. It may be the reason for his request to the State Department to withdraw him from Islamabad before his tenure expired. His colleague in Kabul has followed suit and a similar request from him is also awaiting approval of Washington.
There has been a growing demand urging the US to end the war in Afghanistan and withdraw troops even earlier than scheduled. There are reports suggesting that US troops serving in Afghanistan are also conveying their opposition to the war to their field commander calling it a waste of time and financial and human resources. The NYT report further reveals that President Obama’s focus on drone strikes has made it impossible to forge a new relationship with the Muslim world that he promised in his speech in Cairo in June 2009. It went on to say that both Pakistan and Yemen are arguably less stable and more hostile to the US than when Mr Obama became President. What Mr Munter said and what NYT has reported reflect that the US Administration's strategy has critics not just abroad, but at home. The war for hearts and minds is lost and perhaps there is more effort needed in that direction, than on the battlefield.