Petraeus, Karzai Clash on Strategy

Bleak news all around today from Afghanistan: Gen. David Petraeus has barely settled in, but he's already running into resistance from President Hamid Karzai on strategy, reports the Washington Post. Meanwhile, six American service members were killed, bringing the total to 23 this month, reports AP. That follows last month's total of 60 amid increased Taliban attacks.

Petraeus has met with Karzai at least three times, notes the Post, which says one of the meetings "turned tense" over Karzai's objections to the idea of training Afghan villagers to fight the Taliban on their own. It's a key part of the American strategy, but Karzai is wary of spawning warlords and militias.
(More Afghanistan stories.)