Afghans Shocked by Scandals Among US Generals

The US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, is under investigation for inappropriate communications with a Florida woman, Jill Kelley.

Kelley is the same woman whose complaint exposed the affair which led to the resignation of CIA director, David Petraeus, last week.

General Allen’s scheduled promotion to supreme command of NATO has now been put on hold, as investigators sift through as many as 30,000 emails and documents that the general reportedly shared with the Tampa socialite.

The scandals are leaving many in Afghanistan with concerns.

The BBC’s Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says he spoke to many senior officials Tuesday in the Afghan government, and most have serious questions about the case.

“How on earth did he find the time to send 30,000 emails to this woman, when he’s supposed to be fighting a war.” That’s how Sarwary characterizes their responses.

Afghans are impressed, however, with the American system, Sarwary says.

“Even if you’re General Petraeus; even if you’re the CIA chief, if you do something wrong, you’re going to pay for it.”

He says it’s almost impossible to imagine the same thing happening with Afghan officials and generals.