USA: Political and military leaders say stability in Afghanistan hinges on fighting terrorism and drug trafficking

Political and military leaders on Thursday (September 21) say stability in Afghanistan hinges on fighting terrorism and drug trafficking. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said his countries problems is multi-faceted. "Its not so much as a military problem as it is a political problem in the sense that we must concentrate on the sources of training and financing, and equipping and motivating and all that outside of Afghanistan if you are to be able to defeat terrorism forever in the region and beyond." Without naming Pakistan, Karzai told the General Assembly on Wednesday that foreign troops would be unable to end Taliban assaults unless "terrorist sanctuaries" outside the country were destroyed. Afghan officials often complain that militants use Pakistani territory as a springboard for attacks on U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said a tough fight in Afghanistan remained and said that the international effort against Taliban militants faces major long-term problems. "Let us be realistic. The challenges facing Afghanistan are enormous. There will be no quick fixes. Moreover, success cannot be assured by military means alone," an unusually downbeat Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday speaking to the United Nations General Assembly. Canada has 2,300 soldiers in the southern city of Kandahar, scene of a series of major clashes with the Taliban. In the last three months alone 20 Canadians have died, prompting ever louder calls for the troops to be brought back home. NATO's southern Afghanistan offensive this month killed 1,000 to 1,500 Taliban fighters, a large chunk of the entire force, passing a major test on the battlefield, its top operational commander said on Wednesday. Lt. General Karl Eikenberry told reporters at the Pentagon success in Afghanistan ws linked to curbing the rising levels of drug trafficking plaguing the country. "We can not attain success without eventually bringing the narco trafficking problem that Afghanistan faces, under control" Eikenberry said." A U.N. report said poppy cultivation will soar to record levels in Afghanistan this year, yielding 92 percent of the world's supply of opium, the raw material for heroin. Gen. James Jones, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, also said alliance allies have committed to provide at least 2,000 of the roughly 2,000-2,500 extra troops he sought to bolster the 20,000-strong NATO force in Afghanistan. The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan said on Sunday NATO and Afghan troops had driven Taliban insurgents out of the Panjwai district, near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. NATO had said more than 400 insurgents were killed. The Taliban denied such losses. Five Canadians and 14 Britons also died in the operation. Jones said 20,000 villagers were displaced. Canadian, British and Dutch soldiers are leading a NATO push into the south, the most lawless part of Afghanistan, and have faced a more aggressive Taliban than expected. Jones said "the Taliban adopted tactics that we had not seen. They actually chose to stand and fight in a conventional way. They paid a huge price for that. I don't think we'll see them trying that again, but it was a major turning point" About 20,000 soldiers are part of the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan. The United States has a separate force of similar size operating in Afghanistan under its own command to fight Taliban and al Qaeda guerrillas. The NATO force is meant to protect development and reconstruction teams but has been engaged in pitched battles with Taliban fighters since moving south last month.

ITN Source | September 22, 2006

Tags:. .assaults. .motivating. .forever. .clashes. .adopted