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Afghanistan address clear, McChrystal says

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- More troops mean a faster transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces, said Gen. Stan McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

"The clarity, capability, and commitment outlined in President Obama's address are critical steps toward eliminating an insurgency in Afghanistan and terrorist safe havens that threaten regional and global security," McChrystal said in a message to the troops posted Wednesday. "I believe our renewed Coalition campaign is fortified by the path President Obama has put forward."

Obama announced Tuesday the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan by next summer as part of a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The coalition mission remains that of working toward transferring security responsibilities to Afghan security forces as quickly as safely possible, McChrystal said.

"They need our help -- and we are here for them, for their future, and for the safety and security of coalition nations," he said.

Noting many challenges remain, McChrystal said the mission now "has (a) renewed purpose sustained by one unassailable reality: Neither the international community nor the Afghan people want this country to remain a sanctuary for terror and violence. The price to be paid in this conflict is high. But the stakes are higher."

Obama's decision to add more troops "is a clear reflection not only of his intended strategy, but of his confidence in the success we can achieve," McChrystal said, "success earned by the competence and courage you display every day in Afghanistan."

Russia: Pros, cons in U.S. Afghan strategy

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan says the United States is making some of the same mistakes the Soviet Union did during its military campaign.

Andrey Avetisyan said Washington should not pressure Hamid Karzai's government into adopting western political institutions too quickly because Afghan society cannot be pushed into changes too quickly.

Avetisyan told al-Jazeera that the Soviets pursued a similar strategy in the 1980s of holding towns and trying to impose political institutions that might be resisted in the countryside.

"It must be done step-by-step and slowly," said Avetisyan. "You can't have elections in Afghanistan as neatly as in Finland because the situation is different."

The envoy said U.S. efforts to improve the Afghan economy and educational system were on the right path, but the training of internal police and security forces still had a long way to go.

He added that while Russia supported allied efforts to curb both the Taliban and Afghanistan's opium trafficking, Moscow had no plans to get involved militarily ever again.

AI: Afghan civilians must be protected

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The United States must ensure procedures are in place to investigate civilian deaths since more troops are heading to Afghanistan, Amnesty International said.

"Recent efforts by the U.S. and NATO forces to minimize civilian casualties are a step forward but the U.S. government must ensure that any troops who violate Afghan civilians human rights are held to account," said Madhu Malhotra, Asia-Pacific deputy director, in a release. "More U.S. troops must not lead to more harm to Afghan civilians."

Amnesty International recognizes insurgent and extremist groups are responsible for the majority of civilian casualties and injuries, Malhotra said. However, this knowledge didn't diminish the responsibility to offer support to those injured by Afghan and coalition forces and bring personnel suspected of violating international humanitarian and human rights law to justice.

Respect for international law, including human rights law and international humanitarian law by all parties, is necessary to bringing security to Afghanistan, Amnesty International said. Also, the safety of Afghan civilians must be ensured by military personnel enacting clearer chains of command and rules of engagement that abide by international law.

Police: Friends aided homicide suspect

TACOMA, Wash., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Friends and relatives helped hide a Washington state man while police sought him for killing four officers near Seattle, authorities allege.

Police say Douglas Davis, 22, and Eddie Davis, 20, of Auburn, Wash., each helped accused cop killer Maurice Clemmons evade a massive manhunt Sunday by driving him to a relative's home, even after Clemmons allegedly told them he had killed police officers, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday.

Clemmons was slain early Tuesday by a Seattle police officer. The Davises, who are brothers, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charges of rendering criminal assistance, while bail for Eddie Davis was set at $700,000 and Douglas Davis' bail was $500,000, the newspaper said.

The Times said charging documents indicate that another person has been arrested for allegedly driving Clemmons' getaway car after four officers were gunned down in a Lakewood, Wash., coffeehouse, while another person allegedly tended a gunshot wound Clemmons sustained when one of the officers returned fire.

Clemmons was able to bail out of jail on child rape and police assault charges just days before the slayings because an Arkansas warrant seeking his arrest was never passed on to Washington officials, two unnamed law enforcement officials told SeattlePI.com.

China: Four dead after H1N1 inoculation

BEIJING, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Chinese Ministry of Health said four people died following widespread inoculations of an H1N1 flu vaccine made in China.

Liang Wannian, director of the ministry's emergency response office, said three of the deaths were proven to be irrelevant to inoculation efforts, while the fourth death is still under investigation, China's official state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Liang said as of Monday, 2,867 suspected adverse reactions to the Chinese H1N1 flu vaccine were reported among the 26.18 million people who received the inoculation.

Fever or swelling was the symptom experienced by nearly 80 percent of those individuals reporting possible adverse reactions, the ministry official said.

"Clinical tests and practices in China and other countries have shown the A (H1N1) flu vaccines are safe," Liang said.

Xinhua said as of Sunday, nearly 80 percent of the more than 90,000 people in China who were infected with H1N1, or swine flu, had recovered. The death toll from the spread of H1N1 in China was 178.

Shoe-thrower draws own footwear missile

PARIS, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush had footwear tossed at him in Paris, witnesses said.

Just as Bush had done last year in Baghdad, Muntader al-Zaidi had to duck Tuesday to avoid being struck by a flying shoe, this one launched by an Iraqi man described as an asylum-seeker in France, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said the incident happened at a press conference called by Zaidi to publicize his campaign "victims of the U.S. occupation in Iraq," during which a man identified as an asylum-seeker known only as "Khayat" yelled, "Here's another shoe for you," in Arabic before hurling the footwear.

The man also reportedly accused Zaidi of "working for dictatorship in Iraq." The Telegraph said he was grabbed by Zaidi's brother, who slapped him before they were separated and the alleged shoe-thrower was taken from the room.

"When I used this method, it was against the occupation. I did not use it against a compatriot," Zaidi told reporters after the incident. "I always knew the occupier and his lackeys would stop at nothing to get to me."