Jones Sees Demise of Afghan Terrorists, Narcotraffickers
- From: Otis Willie <americanwarlibrary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 03:42:00 GMT
Jones Sees Demise of Afghan Terrorists, Narcotraffickers
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2006/20060306_4403.html
{EXCERPT} By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 6, 2006 - The end is drawing near for remnant
Taliban, al Qaeda and other elements seeking to displace the Afghan
government for their own purposes, the American general who oversees
U.S. troops in Europe and NATO matters said here yesterday.
"I think this is a turning moment for what's left of the insurgency
and also for the criminal element, the narcotics traffickers and all
the others, who are working on their own in their own way to
destabilize the growth of the (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai
government," Marine Gen. James L. Jones told "CNN Late Edition" host
Wolf Blitzer.
Jones is supreme allied commander in Europe and commander of U.S.
European Command.
American, coalition and Afghan forces defeated the Taliban, which had
terrorized the populace and facilitated the operation of al Qaeda
training camps in the country. Operation Enduring Freedom was launched
Oct. 7, 2001. The U.S. declared in early May 2003 that major combat
operations in Afghanistan had ended, but a diminished insurgency has
continued since then.
Remaining Taliban and al Qaeda elements in Afghanistan continue to
stage hit-and-run operations against Afghan, U.S. and other coalition
forces. But, Jones said, these incidents are becoming less significant
as government forces grow in size and capability.
Jones predicted an increase in terrorist attacks in Afghanistan this
spring, but said the outnumbered and outgunned terrorists are unlikely
to make any meaningful gains. "I don't think that means we have a
resurgence or an insurgency that's returning" in Afghanistan, the
general told Blitzer. Any spike in violence likely would be
"disparate" and spread out among the Taliban, al Qaeda and
narcotraffickers, Jones said.
Terrorists in Afghanistan also are expected to adopt "copycat"
techniques like those used by terrorists in Iraq, such as employing
more roadside bombs to attack government, U.S. and other coalition
troops, Jones said.
"There clearly are going to be instances of duplication and
imitation," Jones said. Terrorists in Afghanistan are "going to try
everything that they can, because the tide and the times are moving
out," he said.
Jones said Afghanistan's 30,000-member national army is making things
hot for the terrorists. "They're a capable army. They're admired by
the people," Jones said. "They're out mixing it up and doing things
they need to do."
The coalition in Afghanistan plans to inject substantial
reinforcements to put more pressure on the insurgency during 2006,
Jones said. NATO also is preparing to deploy about 11,000 troops into
Afghanistan to assist with security duties, he said. "There are fewer
hiding places for those who wish us ill in Afghanistan," Jones said.
Right now, Jones said, he considers Afghanistan's drug traffickers as
much as a detriment for the country's well being as the Taliban and al
Qaeda terrorists. Many of Afghanistan's poppy plants are harvested and
processed by labs into opium, from which heroin is made. "We all have
to be very, very cognizant of the fact that this may be the most
important problem the Karzai government faces in terms of restoring
the economy and moving it in a positive direction," Jones said.
Regarding the whereabouts of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Jones
said he believes the terrorist will eventually be dealt with. Bin
Laden is suspected of hiding somewhere along the mountainous
Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. "If he's still alive there's
reason to believe that we'll eventually be successful (in finding
him), particularly if we get a good working relationship across both
sides of border, which would be, in my view, very important," Jones
said.
Related Site:
Gen. James L. Jones, USMC [
http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/jones_bio.html
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK, the
official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2006/20060306_4403.html
-- Otis Willie (Ret.)
Military News and Information Editor (http://www.13105320634.com)
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