Feed: Secretary Napolitano lectures Afghan president on border security - AggScore: 13.0

Secretary Napolitano lectures Afghan president on border security

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caption id alignalignleft width210 captionSecretary Napolitano displayed more concern for the AfghanPakistani border than the borders in her own nation. Photo DHS img srchttpcdn2b.examiner.comsitesdefaultfilesstyleslargehash198751172.jpg alt width210 height170 captionIn a comedic exchange that appears to elude the elite news media, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano met with Afghanistans President Hamid Karzai to discuss securing the region surrounding the AfghanPakistani border. Secretary Napolitano reportedly reinterated Americas commitment to working with Afghanistan to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in the region.The Obama administration remains fully committed to combating threats of terrorism in Afghanistan, said Secretary Napolitano. In coordination with U.S. and Afghan military forces, the dedicated civilian Department of Homeland Security personnel assisting the Afghan government with customs and border control have made significant progress in disrupting al Qaeda operations in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.divHowever, not everyone is oblivious to the comedy of Napolitanos Afghan visit. For example, Fox News military analyst Colonel Bill Cowan said on Sunday, Secretary Napolitano should first secure the U.S. borders before lecturing officials in other countries on how to protect their borders.divdivIn her meetings with President Karzai, Secretary Napolitano reportedly discussed the Homeland Security Departments ongoing efforts coordinated with the Afghan government to combat the illicit diversion and trafficking of precursor chemicals that terrorist and other criminal organizations use to manufacture improvised explosive devices IEDs.divdivUnfortunately, not one of the reporters traveling with Napolitano mentioned the details of reports that showed weapons of mass destruction being smuggled across U.S. borders during undercover operations by socalled Red Teams special units set up to test security vulnerabilities.divdivNapolitano discussed DHS deployments of border security and customs personnel to the region to assist Afghan border police and customs officials and help establish an Afghan customs academy. In the last twelve months, DHS efforts have expanded and now more than a dozen U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE agents are providing training and guidance to the Afghan government and sharing best practicesincluding the six officials that arrived with Secretary Napolitano on New Years Eve.divdivSecretary Napolitano also held a roundtable discussion today with Afghan women, as well as U.S. women serving in the region, to hear about efforts underway to advance the role of women in Afghan society. During the discussion, Secretary Napolitano reiterated President Obamas strong commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. However, there was absolutely no discussion of Muslim teachings regarding the lowstatus of Islamic women. Nor was there a discussion regarding rampant child sex abuse of prepubescent boys by Islamic men in Afghanistan.divdivThe group that heard Napolitanos comments was comprised of Afghan government officials representing the Ministries of Womens Affairs, Public Health, Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Justice and the Afghanistan National Army and National Police, as well as women serving various nongovernmental organizations and American women working to assist the Afghan people in bringing peace and stability to the region.divdivIn addition, Secretary Napolitano toured border security operations at Afghanistans Torkham Border Crossing with Pakistan and met with Afghan and U.S. border security and customs officials working to strengthen border security along the AfghanPakistan border while facilitating legitimate travel and commerce. Secretary Napolitano also spent New Years Eve with U.S. military and civilian personnel.divdivFor several years, the Department of Homeland Security has been contributing personnel to help bolster security in Afghanistan, said Secretary Napolitano.divdivIn the last twelve months, DHS has expanded its effort here in support of President Obamas policy of civilian engagement. Today, I arrived in Kabul with six additional border security and customs officers who will join our ongoing efforts to advise and assist our Afghan counterparts on customs and border control. It is an honor to meet with our dedicated military and civilian men and women who are helping to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan, and I thank them for their continued efforts and sacrifices here to make the American homeland safer and more secure, said the former governor of Arizona.divdivSome observers are less enthusiastic about Napolitanos visit to Afghanistan. Local law enforcement officials in border states such as Arizona and New Mexico wonder why Napolitano doesnt spend time at the U.S.Mexico border with her own troops the men and women serving as U.S. Border Patrol agents and as Customs officers.divdivThe U.S.Mexico border is practically a war zone, but Napolitano and other members of the Obama national security team ignore the situation, said former police detective and intelligence officer Mike Snopes.divdivAnyone who visits our border with Mexico knows that we are being deceived by cynical politicians who care more about foreign borders thousands of mile away than they care about U.S. sovereignty and American lives, Snopes said.divFollowing her departure from Afghanistan, Secretary Napolitano visited Qatar on January 2 Israel on January 35 and Belgium on January 56 to meet with her counterparts and discuss international efforts to ensure the security of our global aviation and supply chain systems against threats of terrorism and transnational crime while facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and commerce.