Clinton Discusses Way Forward in Afghanistan, Pakistan

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2011 – The United States has made tremendous progress in Afghanistan, but the work that remains to be done requires cooperation from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the House Foreign Affairs Committee today.

Osama bin Laden and many top al-Qaida terrorists are dead, Clinton said. The terror group has been devastated, she added, and its ability to conduct operations is greatly diminished.

“Many of our successes against al-Qaida would not have been possible without our presence in Afghanistan and close cooperation with Pakistan,” she said.

Clinton just returned from visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CIA Director David H. Petraeus accompanied her.

The coalition in Afghanistan still faces a difficult fight, the secretary said, but the surge in coalition troops and the plus-up in Afghan security forces has wrested momentum away from the Taliban.

Afghan forces are assuming more responsibility each day, Clinton said, noting that Afghan President Hamid Karzai soon will announce the next group of areas in the country where Afghan forces will assume security responsibility.

The Afghans undoubtedly have made progress, Clinton said.

“Ten years ago, fewer than a million students enrolled in Afghan schools -- all of them boys,” she said. “Now, more than 7 million [attend school]. Nearly 40 percent of them are girls. Afghans are better positioned to chart their own future.”

The United States cannot let up in the region, Clinton said. “We should build on our momentum, not undercut our progress,” she told the House panel.

Working with Afghan and Pakistani partners is not always easy, Clinton acknowledged. “But these relationships are advancing America’s national security interests,” she added, “and walking away from them would undermine those interests.”

During her talks with Afghan and Pakistani leaders, Clinton said, she emphasized America’s three-track strategy of “fight, talk and build.”

“The chance of success for all three [is] greatly increased by strong cooperation from the Afghan and Pakistani governments,” she said.

Coalition and Afghan forces have increased pressure on the Taliban, the Haqqani network and other insurgents, Clinton said.

“But our commanders on the ground are increasingly concerned … that we have to go after the safe havens across the border in Pakistan,” she said. “So in Islamabad last week, General Dempsey, Director Petraeus and I delivered a single, unified message: Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership must join us in squeezing the Haqqani network from both sides of the border and in closing safe havens.”

The three underscored to the Pakistanis how urgent this is, and “we had detailed and frank conversations about the concrete steps both sides need to take,” Clinton said.

In the second track, the United States is encouraging an Afghan-led peace process, Clinton said. She reiterated that insurgents must renounce violence, abandon al-Qaida and abide by the laws and constitution of Afghanistan to be accepted back into Afghan society.

“If insurgents cannot or will not meet those redlines, they will face continued and unrelenting assault,” she said. “And I want to stress, as I did in Kabul, that the hard-won rights of women and all Afghans cannot be rolled back, and the growth of civil society must be not be quashed.”

Pakistan has a big stake in reconciliation in Afghanistan, Clinton said, and the United States expects Pakistan to encourage the Taliban and other insurgents to participate in an Afghan peace process in good faith through unequivocal public statements and by closing off the safe havens.

The third track, Clinton said, is building capacity and opportunity in Afghanistan, Pakistan and across the region.

“Now, this is part of a clear-eyed strategy rooted in a lesson we have learned over and over again around the world -- lasting stability and security go hand in hand with greater economic opportunity,” she said.

The economic aspects of this track, Clinton said, are crucial for continued progress in security and reconciliation.

“Now, as the transition proceeds and coalition combat forces leave Afghanistan, there need to be realistic hopes for development,” she said. “We are working to achieve greater agricultural productivity, greater exploitation in a way that benefits the Afghanistan people of natural resources, increasing exports and strengthening the financial sector.”

America wants to move from “aid to trade,” the secretary of state said. Therefore, she added, U.S. lawmakers are being asked to pass legislation that will lower tariffs on Pakistani and Afghan products, and the Enterprise Fund, which will not require taxpayer dollars.

Clinton discussed the regional efforts called the New Silk Road.

“It’s not just an economic plan,” she said. “It talks about how we can get these countries that have so many problems with each other to begin cooperating.”

Officials Study Cooperation Among Terrorist Groups

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2011 – As U.S. and allied forces dismantle the core of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, intelligence officials are studying the degree to which terrorist splinter groups are working together, Defense Department officials said today.

“They’ll remain a concern,” one of three Defense Department officials told Pentagon reporters during an afternoon background briefing to explain the nature of regionalized, radical Islamist groups that have proliferated in the Middle East and North Africa. “There is an element of defeating the organization … that is separate from the ideological component. You can get them to be operationally incapable, but that doesn’t destroy the idea of al-Qaida.”

Al-Qaida maintains a reduced funding stream, still provides training, and is “intent on transnational attacks,” an official said. “They’ll remain a concern, but these regional nodes are the way of the future.”

In a congressional hearing yesterday, CIA Director David H. Petreaus called al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula “the most dangerous regional node in the global jihad.”

The group has strengthened in Yemen, but so, too, has the national government in its counterterrorism measures, an official in today’s background briefing said. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula secured a foothold in the southern province of Abyan when a political revolution took hold in the country last spring. The national government, in recent weeks, has refocused its military forces away from domestic turmoil to lead a strong counteroffensive against the terrorist group in Abyan.

“That’s a good sign,” the official said, noting that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has plotted sophisticated attacks against the United States. “They’re intent on external operations and brag about it,” he added, noting that an English-language magazine the group publishes contains articles that teach bomb-making skills and encourage terrorism against the United States.

The officials confirmed that terrorist groups also are trying to gain hold in Libya, where the Libyan Transition National Council recently drove Moammar Gadhafi from power. “They’re always looking for a target of opportunity,” one official said.

So far, however, the council has rejected them, the officials said. “It certainly seems that they have gone to great lengths to disassociate themselves,” one official said of the council.

Terrorist groups have expanded in other parts of North Africa, though, including al Shabaab in Somalia, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, an Algerian-based group believed to be working with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan. “We’ve definitely seen the cross-pollination of TTP and AQIM,” an official said.

These groups form temporary alliances, but mostly are focused on their own regional issues and have not formed large mergers, the officials said.

“These groups have more differences in their foundations and ideologies than commonalities,” the senior official said. “But they do make these temporary alliances of convenience, and they have common enemies.”

He said he is optimistic it will stay that way.

“I wouldn’t go down this ‘Legion of Doom’ theory, where they’re all going to sort of join hands,” the senior official said. “The timing doesn’t work for them, and they go back on their own.”

Effort in Afghanistan Undeterred, Official Says

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2011 – An attack near the U.S. Embassy and International Security Assistance Force headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul today will not deter the United States from its efforts in Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said here.

“The insurgents will not prevail,” Little told reporters. “Our resolve is unwavering.”

A small group of insurgents attacked near the U.S. Embassy and ISAF headquarters at around 1:30 p.m. local time (5 a.m. EDT), firing from outside the compound using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, officials said.

Afghan and coalition forces immediately responded to the attack, and still are on the scene. Coalition forces are providing air support.

“The transition [to Afghan responsibility for security] remains on track,” he said. “Our commitment to the people of Afghanistan and to building the capacity of the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police and other elements of the Afghan security forces remains steadfast.”

Meanwhile, CIA Director David H. Petraeus offered an update on the attack earlier today in testimony before a joint hearing of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

“I talked to Ambassador [Ryan C.] Crocker a couple of hours ago. … He reported that all embassy members are accounted for, [and] there have been no injuries to any embassy members,” he said.

Four Afghan citizens were injured – “three of those very lightly” -- when a rocket-propelled grenade hit an old chancery building, he said, adding that one girl needed to go to the hospital in the ISAF compound.

In a statement issued three hours after the attack began, officials said no ISAF casualties were reported.

Mullen: Coalition Maintains Momentum in Kandahar

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 29, 2011 – Despite the spikes of violence here coalition and Afghan security forces are keeping the initiative, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.

Mullen, who arrived here today to meet with coalition leaders, U.S. troops and their civilian counterparts, spoke to reporters traveling with him.

Kandahar has seen a number of spectacular attacks recently. Ahmed Wali Karzai -- the half-brother of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai and an important political force in the region, was assassinated last month. Kandahar’s police chief also was assassinated last month, and yesterday the Taliban claimed responsibility for murdering the city’s mayor.

These types of horrific attacks aimed at individuals were expected, Mullen said, noting that former International Security Assistance Force commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus predicted the Taliban would launch these attacks. Petraeus’ successor, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen “has reaffirmed that there are going to be these kinds of spikes -- in particular these spectacular assassinations,” Mullen said.

“There are some who believe that this is really all they can do,” he added, “given the challenges the Taliban has faced over the last couple of seasons, including this one.”

Coalition and Afghan leaders are not surprised that the Taliban are launching these attacks, and they are working to protect local Afghan leaders and to go after the cells that plan and launch these attacks, the chairman said.

Mullen said he does not know what effect these spectacular assassinations are having on provincial and district leaders, and he will speak with Afghan leaders to make his own assessment.

Last month, Afghan forces began taking over security responsibility for seven areas of the country, covering roughly 25 percent of the population. This includes the security lead for the capital region of Kabul.

Mullen said he’ll reassure Afghans of the U.S. commitment to their country. Though coalition and Afghan forces have wrested the momentum from the Taliban and their terrorist allies, he noted, the attacks and the first phase of the U.S. drawdown in the country has made many people nervous.

The chairman said he will stress “the many successes we’ve enjoyed over the Taliban in the past year, [and] reassure them that continues to be the case.”

President Barack Obama announced that the United States will withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and another 23,000 by September 2012. The chairman said he wants to make the point to Afghans that a substantial number of American forces will remain in country. “There will still be 68,000 [American] troops in Afghanistan, and a significant number of coalition troops,” he said.

Allen will determine the drawdown methods, Mullen said, adding that he is confident the drawdown will meet the president’s goal and deadline.

“There will also be a significant buildup of [Afghan security forces] over the course of the next year,” he said. “So I’m sure there will be enough forces to reassure the Afghan people.”

Today, roughly 295,000 personnel serve in the Afghan army and police, building to 305,600 personnel this year. The goal is to have a force of 352,000 -- 195,000 in the army and 157,000 in the police -- by Oct. 31, 2012.

The chairman brought a troupe of USO entertainers with him on this trip.

“This is the time of year I normally go, and one of the reasons I go in the summer is it is brutally hot,” he said. “It lets me see the conditions our young men and women serve in.”

This year, Comedy Central satirist Jon Stewart, basketball legend Karl Malone and magician David Blaine will meet with troops.

“More than anything else, it brings a little bit of America halfway around the world, and puts a smile on their faces,” the chairman said. “It reminds them that we appreciate it, and that a lot of people at home care about what they are doing.”

Report Clears Afghanistan Training Commander

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2011 – The U.S. Army general who leads the coalition training effort for Afghanistan’s security forces has been cleared of allegations that he used psychological operations personnel to try to influence visiting dignitaries.

A Rolling Stone magazine article in February quoted an Army lieutenant colonel saying that Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV had tried to use psychological operations capabilities to influence visiting senators and members of Congress.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who then commanded U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, initiated an investigation into the allegations and appointed Army Lt. Gen. William Webster to lead it. The investigation report exonerated Caldwell, who has served as the commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan since October 2009.

The Army probe approved by Petraeus in May found the allegations raised by the article were not substantiated, and the Defense Department inspector general agreed with the findings.

“The DOD Inspector General reviewed the 15-6 investigation initiated by U.S. Forces Afghanistan, and concurred with the findings that the allegation against Lieutenant General Caldwell was not substantiated,” said Army Lt. Col. Elizabeth Robbins, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

The officer who made the statements to Rolling Stone also alleged that he was a whistleblower and that Caldwell retaliated against him for it. “With regard to the whistleblower reprisal allegation, the DOD IG also concurred that Lieutenant General Caldwell was not implicated as a responsible management official,” Robbins said.

The investigation said the officers who made the allegations prepared information packages on the congressional delegations that visited, and that this is neither illegal nor improper.

Allen Praises Troops’ Courage, Sets ISAF Priorities

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2011 – Much work remains to secure Afghanistan’s future and eliminate violent extremists, the new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said today in a letter to the men and women of the International Security Assistance Force.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen addressed the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians of ISAF, praising their courage under the most challenging conditions and setting out his priorities for unified action.

“It will be my honor to serve with you all,” Allen handwrote at the bottom of the letter, which was posted on ISAF’s website. Allen assumed command today, succeeding Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who is retiring from the Army and will be the next CIA director.

Allen said his priorities include continuing the relentless pursuit of the enemy and accelerating the work associated with developing and fielding the Afghan national security forces.

“We will accelerate our efforts to protect the population and to attack and degrade insurgent networks,” he wrote. “As we support the overall effort, we will continue to capture and kill the enemy and remove him from the field of battle through reintegration.”

Allen said ISAF will promote opportunities for stabilizing villages and establishing the Afghan local police. Working with civilian partners, he added, ISAF will help to build capacity for governance, economic development and the rule of law.

In the field, the general said, Afghan national security force formations are growing in size and confidence.

“Afghans are fighting for their country, and we must facilitate this everywhere we can,” Allen said, “seeking opportunities for Afghan leadership to step forward in their institutions and in the field.”

Other ISAF priorities include coordinating and cooperating closely with Afghan partners to support the transition to Afghan forces having responsibility for their nation’s security, and staying innovative, agile and responsive as the campaign evolves, Allen wrote.

“When we have completed the work of this campaign, Afghans will be in the lead in security across the country, securing the final phase of transition in 2014,” the general said. “They will be postured not only to prevent the return of extremism and terrorism in Afghanistan, but also to achieve Afghanistan’s long-term security requirements.”

Allen told the troops that “now is the time to be ‘all in’ as we support the prosecution of the campaign, the development and fielding of the [Afghan forces] and the process of transition.”

In addition, being good stewards of the resources nations have entrusted to ISAF to achieve its mission is the responsibility of every ISAF member, Allen wrote.

The general reminded ISAF troops of why they’re in Afghanistan.

“The Afghan people welcomed ISAF and its members into this ancient and historic land 10 years ago,” he wrote, “to help them remove a ruthless and implacable enemy while promoting conditions for a stable and peaceful future.”

Tough days remain ahead, he added, “[but] I take heart in the determination and endurance of the free men and women of the 49 nations of ISAF who stand shoulder to shoulder -- shohna ba shohna -- with our Afghan partners to see this great endeavor through to its successful completion.”

Allen Takes Reins as ISAF Commander

From an International Security Assistance Force News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 18, 2011 – Marine Corps General John R. Allen assumed command of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan here today.

Allen succeeds Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who will retire from the Army this summer and will then serve as CIA director.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff and Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander, U.S. Central Command, were on hand for the change-of-command ceremony.

Allen served as Centcom’s deputy commander from July 2008 until last month. From 2006 to 2008, he was deputy commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force and commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, deploying to Iraq as deputy commander General of Multinational Force in Anbar Province.

He was the first Marine Corps officer to serve as commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, served as a Marine Corps Fellow to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and was the first Marine Corps officer inducted as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The general received his fourth star from Mullen before the change of command.

“Throughout, we will keep our eyes on the horizon – the future of Afghanistan – a nation of free people at peace, governed under its constitution, pursuing economic enterprise and development, in a secure and stable environment free from the extremism and terrorism that has plagued this wonderful country and its people for more than a generation,” Allen said after taking command. “In the end, together, we will prevail.”

Petraeus: Counterinsurgency Strategy Has ‘Borne Fruit’

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011 – The commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, the officer many view as the architect of the Defense Department’s counterinsurgency strategy, assessed its results in Afghanistan as he prepares to retire.

During his last full week commanding coalition and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus discussed his tenure there with NATO TV yesterday.

“What we have done is implement the so-called NATO comprehensive approach, a civil-military campaign … that does indeed embody many of the principles of the counterinsurgency field manual that we developed back in 2006, and which we employed in Iraq in the surge of 2007-2008,” he said. “I think generally, it has borne fruit.”

Petraeus and Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who succeeded him in August as commander of U.S. Central Command, jointly oversaw the manual’s development and publication. Petraeus has issued further counterinsurgency guidance on troop operations and contracting since assuming the ISAF command in July 2010.

There have been setbacks as well as successes, the general said, but over the last year coalition and Afghan forces have halted the Taliban’s momentum in much of the country, and reversed the insurgent hold in central Helmand province, districts around Kandahar city and in the security bubble in and around the Afghan capital of Kabul.

While ISAF and Afghan forces have increased their hold in many population centers, there is still a tough fight for control of the country, he said.

“We always say it gets harder before it gets easier, and we have definitely been in the ‘getting harder’ phase of this overall endeavor,” the general noted.

The number of enemy attacks between last May and this May was about the same, he said, and levels in June decreased by 3 to 5 percent from last year. That trend may not continue, but is still noteworthy for those two months, Petraeus said, particularly since the increase in violent incidents from 2009 to 2010 was “very, very significant.”

“But this is hard,” he said. “There is a resilient enemy, and there is no question … that enemy is willing to cause civilian casualties. It’s an enemy willing to blow himself up, in some cases, to achieve objectives.”

Enemy activity within Afghanistan’s border area with Pakistan is a very serious challenge, the general said.

Petraeus said ISAF and Afghan forces have worked together to establish a layered border defense in key locations such as the area between Khost province and North Waziristan. The protection force there “is quite effective and well supported,” he added.

Coalition troops plan to expand that force and establish similar defenses in Paktika province and other “rugged, mountainous tribal areas in which the insurgents have been able to establish safe havens over the years,” he said.

“Many of these areas, frankly, are just not those in which you will ever see sizeable Afghan or ISAF forces,” he acknowledged.

With mountains reaching to 14,000 feet and sparse population, he said, the border area requires sustainable security solutions that will deny insurgents access to the Afghan side of the border. The challenge then, he said, will be to “work with our Pakistani partners so that they can do the same on the other side.”

“Keep in mind, many of these insurgents are posing what we believe is the most existential threat to Pakistan,” Petraeus said. “[They] pose the most urgent threat to the very existence of the Pakistani state, as its citizens know it, … killing dozens of Pakistani civilians in an average week.”

In contrast, and in keeping with the coalition’s emphasis on minimizing civilian casualties, he said, coalition special operations activities generally result in no shots fired.

“They have been very effective, indeed, in getting those individuals we’re seeking,” he said. “Typically capturing them, because we want to interrogate them and … learn more about their networks.”

The hierarchy of Afghan security forces is capable “with some caveats,” the general said.

“The Afghan special operations forces, over 12,000 of them now, [are] really quite capable and indeed leading nearly a quarter of the so-called night raids at this point,” he said. “We certainly provide enablers for them … but they are the ones going through the door, they’re the ones doing the apprehensions, the searches, and all the rest of that.”

The Afghan regular army forces are “generally doing well,” he said. “Certainly there’s a range of them,” he added, “all the way from still being established … to an actual independent infantry battalion.”

The Afghan police forces, he said, “run the gamut from quite good to some that are suspect in the eyes of the local population.”

Petraeus said that during the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul on June 28, Afghan forces responded capably and relatively quickly in a situation involving a massive structure with hundreds of rooms, two huge wings and multiple floors.

“It does take a few hours to alert a force, assemble it, issue its equipment, develop initial plans, deploy to the location, get an update and then launch into operations,” he said, “keeping in mind that the individuals they were going after, each of them, was wearing a suicide vest and heavily armed.”

Afghan forces accomplished a “credible and courageous performance” clearing the hotel of heavily armed attackers in suicide vests, he said.

NATO forces assisted during the attack, Petraeus said. “But it was the Afghan forces that died in this operation,” he added. “There’s no better example … that they were the ones confronting these would-be suicide bombers, and ultimately forcing the remaining handful that remained up on to the roof, where they were killed by … other forces.”

Petraeus will turn over command July 18. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John R. Allen has been nominated for promotion to general and appointment as Petraeus’ successor.

Petraeus will retire from the Army on Aug. 31 and assume his new duties as CIA director Sept. 6.

Petraeus told NATO TV he never expected to end his military career in Afghanistan.

“I thought I would end it as the commander of U.S. Central Command,” he said. “This was unexpected. … We’ve jokingly said that I went to the White House for the monthly National Security Council meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan with President [Barack] Obama, and came out with a new job.”

Serving as NATO ISAF commander was “an extraordinary privilege,” Petraeus said.

“There’s no greater honor, there’s also no greater responsibility, than that of command,” he said. “I’ve had probably more than my share of commands, especially as a general officer, and especially in some pretty important endeavors in combat.”

Petraeus Offers Condolences to Afghan President Karzai

From an International Security Assistance Force News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 12, 2011 – Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of coalition and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, offered condolences to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his family in the wake of today’s assassination of the president’s half-brother, chief of the Kandahar provincial council.

Ahmad Wali Karzai, a key power broker in southern Afghanistan, was shot and killed in his Kandahar home.

“My personal sympathy and condolences go out to President Karzai and his family during this extremely difficult time,” Petraeus said in a statement issued from ISAF headquarters here. “President Karzai is working to create a stronger, more secure Afghanistan, and for such a tragic event to happen to someone within his own family is unfathomable.”

The general also pledged his command’s support in bringing anyone involved in the assassination to justice.

“I strongly condemn the actions by anyone who played a role in this murder,” Petraeus said. “ISAF will support the Afghan government in every possible way to bring to justice those involved in the murder of Ahmad Wali Karzai.”

Scaparrotti Takes ISAF Joint Command Reins

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 11, 2011 – Army Lt. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command here today.

Scaparrotti succeeds Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, who had led the command since its October 2009 inception and has been nominated to receive his fourth star and serve as commander of U.S. Army Forces Command.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, ISAF commander, presided over the change of command at the joint command’s Kabul International Airport headquarters. He highlighted coalition and Afghan progress under Rodriguez’s command and offered words of advice to Scaparrotti.

“‘General Rod’ is, in many respects, the operational architect of the campaign plan that has guided the progress of the past year,” Petraeus said. “After overseeing the building of the IJC headquarters, he has spent as much time in the field as in his office overseeing, together with various Afghan partners, the execution of the operational campaign plan he helped design. General Rod understands the lives of the Afghan people, and he has made it his personal mission to help serve and protect them.”

Before he was named to be IJC’s first commander, Rodriguez was the military assistant to then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. From January 2007 to April 2008, he commanded ISAF’s Regional Command East.

“To my Afghan partners: you are the backbone of the progress we have made here in Afghanistan,” Rodriguez said. “The people of Afghanistan continue to grow confidence in the Afghan national security forces, and every day, as leaders, you make tough decisions in the best interest of the people of Afghanistan.”

Rodriguez then offered high praise for his successor.

“Lieutenant General Scaparrotti is a superb leader and a proven counterinsurgent,” he said. “He has firsthand knowledge of Afghanistan’s complexities, having led the fight in Regional Command East. There is no better man to lead the operational fight.”

Scaparrotti comes to Afghanistan from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he served as the commander of the U.S. Army’s 1st Corps. The general has served in Iraq, and this is his second tour in Afghanistan.

“I’m humbled to be the new IJC commander and honored to be a part of the team with our Afghan counterparts,” he said. “IJC is where the future will be shaped through our partnered approach to fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. The work we do will have an impact for years to come.”

Panetta Believes U.S. Close to Defeating al-Qaida

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 9, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said he believes the United States “is within reach of strategically defeating al Qaida.”

Panetta, who arrived in Afghanistan this afternoon, said the United States has identified some of the key al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan, Yemen and other areas.

“If we can be successful in going after them, I think we can really undermine their ability to do any kind of planning, to be able to conduct any kind of attack on this country,” the secretary said to press traveling with him. “It’s within reach. Is it going to take more work? You bet it is.”

He explained his reasoning saying there are between 10 to 20 key al-Qaida leaders in areas like Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and North Africa and tracking them down would mean the defeat of the terror organization.

“We have undermined their ability to conduct 9-11-type attacks,” he said. “We have them on the run. Now is the moment, following what happened to [Osama] bin Laden to put maximum pressure on them, because I do believe if we continue this effort we can cripple al-Qaida as a threat.

Panetta said al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is most likely in hiding in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Area.

Petraeus: Obama Drawdown Based on Broad Considerations

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2011 – President Barack Obama considered the military implications of a drawdown in Afghanistan, as well as broader considerations, in deciding to remove surge forces by the end of next summer, Army Gen. David Petraeus said today.

The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan spoke before the Senate Intelligence Committee here during a hearing to confirm his nomination as the next CIA director.

Petraeus described White House discussions about the drawdown of 33,000 troops by the end of next summer, which the president announced last night, as “vigorous.”

“All voices were heard in the Situation Room and, ultimately, the decision was made,” he said.

The general said he supports the decision and will do all he can to implement it during his remaining time in Afghanistan, and if confirmed, at CIA.

Petraeus said his responsibility as a combat commander was to give the president options for implementing his stated policy, as well as the risks involved. But, he said, other advisors were responsible for raising considerations beyond the military.

“Each person above me, all the way up to and including the president, has a broader view and has broader considerations that are brought to bear,” he said, “with the president alone in the position of evaluating all those different considerations.”

Petraeus acknowledged that the ultimate decision was “a more aggressive formulation in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended.” But, he said, it was “understandable in the sense that there are broader considerations beyond those of a military commander.”

Troops will begin transitioning home next month from seven locations in Afghanistan, Petraeus said, including the capital of Kabul and its surrounding province, two other provinces, and four municipal districts.

A transition, essentially, has already has taken place in each area, the general said, adding that it is “striking” that Lashkar Gah and surrounding Helmand province – the hotbed of the insurgency when Marines deployed there a year ago – is among them.

“This is made possible because, over time, [International Security Assistance Forces] have thinned out and Afghan forces have very much stood up to the point that there are virtually no ISAF forces policing the streets there, nor are they in Kabul,” he said.

More troops will leave Afghanistan this fall, and again in the spring and fall of 2012, Petraeus said.

Commanders on the ground have some flexibility in determining which forces leave, the general said. Already, some troops are going home without replacement, and others have been identified, he added.

“We’re constantly refining and updating our campaign plan, and we’ll do another round of that with the decision having been made,” he said.

Even while U.S. forces are leaving Afghanistan, Petraeus said, “Some 70,000 additional Afghan forces [will be] added, based on our projections.”

These include 50,000 Afghan soldiers and national police, and 20,000 or so Afghan Public Protection forces, security contractors under the control of the Interior Ministry. He called their addition “a very important action that is just beginning.”

Other forces on the ground, he said, include those supported by various agencies, and international elements such as counterterrorist pursuit teams under the Afghan intelligence service.

“It will be critical that we accelerate this as much as we can,” Petraeus said, “ … so we can do that handoff [to Afghan forces] as our forces thin out.”

Mullen Endorses Afghanistan Drawdown Plan

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2011 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress today he endorses the president’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen testified before the House Armed Services Committee following President Barack Obama’s announcement yesterday that 33,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan will return home by September 2012.

Mullen said he and the Pentagon’s top generals had been part of the decision process in planning the troop withdrawal.

“As has been the case throughout the development and execution of the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, the commander in chief presided over an inclusive and comprehensive discussion about what to do next,” the chairman said.

Mullen said the foremost concern in discussing the troop drawdown was preserving the success gained thus far in Afghanistan.

“We believed back when the strategy was established in December of 2009 that it would be about now, this summer, before we could determine whether or not … the resources were enough and the counterinsurgency focus was appropriate,” he said.

“Now we know. We did have it right,” the admiral added. “The strategy is working. Al-Qaida is on their heels, and the Taliban’s momentum in the south has been checked. We have made extraordinary progress against the mission we have been assigned and are, therefore, now in a position to begin a responsible transition out of Afghanistan.”

Mullen said in line with the president’s orders, 10,000 American troops will withdraw by the end of this year and the remaining 23,000 surge troops by the end of next summer.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and his successor as U.S. commander in Afghanistan will have flexibility in setting the pace for withdrawal and positioning remaining forces inside the country, the chairman said.

“There’s no ‘jumping ship’ here -- quite the contrary,” Mullen said. “We will have at our disposal the great bulk of the surge forces throughout this, and most of the next, fighting season.”

Mullen said he originally thought the president’s plan was more aggressive and with more risk than he was prepared to accept, adding that more force for more time is the safer course.

“But that does not necessarily make it the best course,” he said. ”Only the president, in the end, can really determine the acceptable level of risk we must take. I believe he has done so.”

Maintaining a large U.S. troop contingent in Afghanistan would have caused a negative impact on the development of Afghan security forces, the chairman said.

“We would have denied the Afghan security forces, who’ve grown in capability, opportunities to further exercise that capability and to lead,” Mullen said. “We would have signaled to the enemy and to our regional partners that the Taliban still possess strength enough to warrant the full measure of our presence. They do not.”

The president’s plan also will allow the United States to reset its forces more quickly and reduce the “not inconsiderable” cost of deploying them, the chairman noted.

“We have earned this opportunity,” he said. “Though not without risk, it is also not without its rewards.”

As the war in Afghanistan enters a new phase, huge challenges remain, Mullen said.

“This is the beginning -- not the end -- of our effort to wind down this war,” he said. “No one in uniform is under any illusion that there will not be more violence, more casualties, more struggles or more challenges as we continue to accomplish the mission there.”

While progress in Afghanistan has been considerable, Mullen noted, it can be reversed without constant leadership, the contributions of partner and regional nations, and a more concerted effort by the Afghan government to address corruption in its ranks and deliver basic goods and services to the people.

Future progress in Afghanistan, he said, will require U.S. support for an Afghan political process of reconciliation with Taliban members who break with al-Qaida, renounce violence and accept the Afghan constitution.

“And we know we need to continue building a strategic partnership with Afghanistan,” the admiral added. “One based not on military footprint but on mutual friendship. Our troop presence will diminish, as it should, but the partnership between our two nations will and must endure.”

Afghanistan’s future will be decided “not by how much our respective soldiers fight, but by how much our statesmen lead,” Mullen concluded.

Lynn Thanks Czech Republic for Afghan Help

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

PRAGUE, June 15, 2011 – Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III met here today with Czech Republic officials, thanking them for stepping up their role in Afghanistan and discussing the way ahead in a growing military-to-military relationship between their countries.

After meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen and members of the U.S. country team here, Lynn met for a half hour with Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra, and later in the day he met with Czech Chief of Defense Gen. Vlastimil Picek.

During a news conference with Vondra after their meeting, Lynn said they discussed current operations in Afghanistan and the progress being made toward the transition to Afghan security control by the end of 2014, noting that the Czech contingent in Afghanistan will rise to more than 700 members this year.

“Additional Czech trainers and mentors will improve the capabilities of Afghan security forces and the Afghan military as we prepare them for this important transition,” Lynn said. “This contribution is vital.”

The deputy secretary added that he conveyed his gratitude to the Czech armed forces for their contributions to the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, as well as in Kosovo and Iraq.

“The professionalism of Czech troops and civilian specialists in Afghanistan is highly valued by allied command and staff,” including ISAF Commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Lynn said. He expressed condolences on behalf of the American people for the recent loss of a Czech soldier in Afghanistan.

“As someone who has met with many families of fallen warriors in my own country,” he said, “I can tell you that there is no more sobering reminder of the costs of establishing peace and security.”

In addition, Lynn said, he and Vondra discussed the Czech Republic’s White Book on Defense, a plan for improving and reforming the country’s military and its defense procurement system.

“The United States applauds these efforts,” he said, “because they make a good and capable ally an even better and stronger one.”

The deputy secretary noted that the United States is going through a similar effort, as all countries face difficult choices in seeking to spend their scarce resources wisely.

“A transparent and efficient procurement process ensures that taxpayers’ money is properly spent, that service members are well equipped, and that we as NATO allies are making the necessary contributions for our collective security and defense,” he said. “These improvements will lead to even more opportunities for defense cooperation.”

The United States has been able to provide the Czech armed forces with significant assistance in terms of training, communications modernization and air crew equipment, Lynn said.

“These opportunities to train together and to fight our adversaries using common tools are among the many mutual benefits of our strategic relationship,” he added.

Lynn noted that U.S.-Czech cooperation in helicopter operations and training is a particular area that is yielding important results.

“Not only is the Czech Republic preparing Afghan pilots as part of our NATO mission,” he said, “we also are working together on several current and future projects that will expand both U.S. and Czech capabilities to support a range of potential missions.”

Lynn also cited the National Guard’s State Partnership Program as an important area of cooperation between U.S. and Czech forces. Citizen-soldiers and –airmen from Texas and Nebraska have worked with the Czech armed forces toward mutual improvement of their disaster-relief and mass-casualty operations.

“As you can see, our strategic defense relationship is a broad one,” he said. “Minister Vondra and I are both committed to continuing and expanding our partnership.

“Together,” he added, “I am confident we can meet the critical security challenges of the 21st century.”