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`Al Qaeda operates with impunity in Pakistan`
A top American General on Tuesday said that leaders of al Qaeda and other militant groups continue to operate with impunity inside Pakistan.
Washington: A top American General on Tuesday
said that leaders of al Qaeda and other militant groups
continue to operate with impunity inside Pakistan, posing one
of the toughest challenges to the US-led coalition forces in
the region.
"We face long-term challenges... We know that al Qaeda and other extremist networks the very same networks that kill Afghan and coalition troops every day still operate with impunity across the border in Pakistan," Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General John Allen told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.
Taliban, he said, remains a resilient and determined enemy, and that many of them will try to regain their lost ground this spring, through assassination, intimidation, high-profile attacks and the emplacement of IEDs. "We know that Iran continues to support the insurgency and fuels the flames of violence. We know that corruption still robs Afghan citizens of their faith in their government and that poor governance itself often advances insurgent messages," Allen said.
"This campaign has been long. It has been difficult, and it has been costly. There have been setbacks, to be sure, we`re experiencing them now, and there will be more setbacks ahead," he added.
Afghan forces, he said, are gaining more and more confidence, and they are gaining more and more capability.
Allen said, throughout history, insurgencies have seldom been defeated by foreign forces. Instead, they have been ultimately beaten by indigenous forces, he argued.
"In the long run, our goals can only be achieved and then secured by Afghan forces. Transition, then, is the linchpin of our strategy, not merely the way out," he said.
In the last 12 months, the Afghan security forces have expanded from 276,000 to 330,000. They will reach their full surge strength ahead of scheduled deadline in October.
"The expansion and professionalization of Afghan security forces allow us to recover the remaining 23,000 US surge troops by this fall, enable us to continue to pressure the Taliban to reconcile, and make possible security Transition to the Afghans in accordance with our Lisbon commitments and on time," Allen said.
PTI
"We face long-term challenges... We know that al Qaeda and other extremist networks the very same networks that kill Afghan and coalition troops every day still operate with impunity across the border in Pakistan," Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General John Allen told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.
Taliban, he said, remains a resilient and determined enemy, and that many of them will try to regain their lost ground this spring, through assassination, intimidation, high-profile attacks and the emplacement of IEDs. "We know that Iran continues to support the insurgency and fuels the flames of violence. We know that corruption still robs Afghan citizens of their faith in their government and that poor governance itself often advances insurgent messages," Allen said.
"This campaign has been long. It has been difficult, and it has been costly. There have been setbacks, to be sure, we`re experiencing them now, and there will be more setbacks ahead," he added.
Afghan forces, he said, are gaining more and more confidence, and they are gaining more and more capability.
Allen said, throughout history, insurgencies have seldom been defeated by foreign forces. Instead, they have been ultimately beaten by indigenous forces, he argued.
"In the long run, our goals can only be achieved and then secured by Afghan forces. Transition, then, is the linchpin of our strategy, not merely the way out," he said.
In the last 12 months, the Afghan security forces have expanded from 276,000 to 330,000. They will reach their full surge strength ahead of scheduled deadline in October.
"The expansion and professionalization of Afghan security forces allow us to recover the remaining 23,000 US surge troops by this fall, enable us to continue to pressure the Taliban to reconcile, and make possible security Transition to the Afghans in accordance with our Lisbon commitments and on time," Allen said.
PTI