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08-31-2010, 12:26 PM
Campaign Against Taliban To Intensify: NATO Chief
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 30 Aug 2010 17:42
COPENHAGEN - NATO forces in Afghanistan are set to intensify the campaign against Taliban strongholds in the coming weeks, the head of the military alliance said on Aug. 30.
"I share the point of view of American military leaders on the intensification of fighting in the coming weeks and months," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Danish channel TV2 News in an interview broadcast on Monday.
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* Middle East & Africa
"We are in a very decisive phase at the moment. We have sent more soldiers to Afghanistan, where we are attacking Taliban strongholds, which results in more fighting, and unfortunately more losses," he said.
The escalation in combat operations was part of the strategy by international forces to dislodge the Taliban from their strongholds in Helmand province and Kandahar, Rasmussen said.
The escalation is "unfortunately necessary for us to be able to transfer responsibility for security to the Afghans," he said.
Rasmussen said the number of troops on the ground - around 120,000 - was sufficient to eliminate pockets of Taliban resistance.
"The Taliban have no chance of winning on the military level," he said.
"But the solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is not just a military one. If the country is to be stable when we leave, it is necessary to build a sustainable society in terms of education, health and economy," he said.
While welcoming the commitment of a handover to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014, Rasmussen warned against a total withdrawal.
"That would mean the return of the Taliban. And all our efforts would be in vain," he said.
While acknowledging the political pressure for a fixed withdrawal date, "we must stay and finish the job and not allow an open field for the return of the Taliban," Rasmussen said.
"The (international community) is agreed that we will not leave Afghanistan before being certain that the Afghans can ensure their own security," he said.
Rasmussen, a former Danish Prime Minister, on Tuesday makes an official visit to Denmark, which has suffered the highest proportional casualty rate among foreign forces in Afghanistan.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 30 Aug 2010 17:42
COPENHAGEN - NATO forces in Afghanistan are set to intensify the campaign against Taliban strongholds in the coming weeks, the head of the military alliance said on Aug. 30.
"I share the point of view of American military leaders on the intensification of fighting in the coming weeks and months," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Danish channel TV2 News in an interview broadcast on Monday.
Related Topics
* Middle East & Africa
"We are in a very decisive phase at the moment. We have sent more soldiers to Afghanistan, where we are attacking Taliban strongholds, which results in more fighting, and unfortunately more losses," he said.
The escalation in combat operations was part of the strategy by international forces to dislodge the Taliban from their strongholds in Helmand province and Kandahar, Rasmussen said.
The escalation is "unfortunately necessary for us to be able to transfer responsibility for security to the Afghans," he said.
Rasmussen said the number of troops on the ground - around 120,000 - was sufficient to eliminate pockets of Taliban resistance.
"The Taliban have no chance of winning on the military level," he said.
"But the solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is not just a military one. If the country is to be stable when we leave, it is necessary to build a sustainable society in terms of education, health and economy," he said.
While welcoming the commitment of a handover to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014, Rasmussen warned against a total withdrawal.
"That would mean the return of the Taliban. And all our efforts would be in vain," he said.
While acknowledging the political pressure for a fixed withdrawal date, "we must stay and finish the job and not allow an open field for the return of the Taliban," Rasmussen said.
"The (international community) is agreed that we will not leave Afghanistan before being certain that the Afghans can ensure their own security," he said.
Rasmussen, a former Danish Prime Minister, on Tuesday makes an official visit to Denmark, which has suffered the highest proportional casualty rate among foreign forces in Afghanistan.