U.S. seeks 'true partner' in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's government remains too unstable for the United States to decide whether to send more troops there, a top White House adviser says.

"It would be reckless to make a decision on U.S. troop level if, in fact, you haven't done a thorough analysis of whether, in fact, there's an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that the U.S. troops would create and become a true partner in governing the Afghan country," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

"Do you have a credible Afghan partner for this process that can provide the security and the type of services that the Afghan people need?"

Emanuel pointed to two possible options: a runoff between Afghan president Hamid Karzai and his closet rival in the disputed August election, Abdullah Abdullah, or a power-sharing arrangement in a coalition government that would include Abdullah.

The result must be "a legitimate and credible" government the Afghan people support, Emanuel said.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has requested tens of thousands of additional troops be sent to Afghanistan to bolster a counterinsurgency strategy in the country.

But Emanuel said President Obama "will not be rushed to making a decision without asking firm questions and challenging the assumptions."

In a separate interview on the program, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who is in Afghanistan, cautioned against a premature decision on troop levels.

"It would be entirely irresponsible for the president of the United States to commit more troops to this country when we don't even have an election finished and know who the president is and what kind of government we're working in, with," Kerry said.

"Before the president makes a decision about the numbers of troops that ought to come here, I believe it is critical for us to be satisfied that the reform efforts that are absolutely mandatory within the government here are, in fact, going to take place and be fully implemented."