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| Updated: 19-Jun-2007 | Speaking Notes |
PRESS CONFERENCE 31 JAN 07
Good morning and welcome to this, the last of the Press Conferences with Mark and myself. I would like to thank him for his advice and the way he shared this experience with me – it was invaluable. This has been an excellent week for Afghanistan. The United States has shown its true long-term commitment to this country by retaining an additional 3,200 troops from 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. These troops, who are experienced and understand the nature of what we are doing here in Afghanistan, will be tremendously useful for the 120 days that they are here, helping security on the border and providing the Theatre Task Force that COM ISAF has been looking for. The additional troops will enable ISAF to build on its successes in the areas of security and stability while permitting greater support to the GoA with respect to reconstruction and development. In addition the US have pledged billions of dollars, much of it going to the Combined Security Transition Command, who train and equip the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. This will significantly enhance the Afghan National security forces over the coming year, and push them much closer to being able to work right at the forefront of security. This pledge comes at a time when the insurgents are on the back foot. We have laid the foundations over the past few months for success in 2007. Mullah Omar’s winter offensive has not happened, just as his Eid offensive and Ramadan offensives failed to happen. So why should we believe that there will be a spring offensive by the insurgents? There could well be an increase in fighting as it gets warmer, but whether this means a full offensive is another matter, and the evidence over the last few years suggests that the insurgents start applying significant pressure only in the early summer. This year, our, ISAF spring offensive will pre-empt their plans and disrupt them just as they are trying to get ready. And they are not ready yet. We have seen little evidence this year of logistic resupply over the winter, and there has been no significant increase in attacks. Perhaps one of the best indicators of how unsuccessful they are being is the number of bomb makers we have caught: in the last 4 months we have removed 47 bomb makers from the roads and fields of Afghanistan, and every one we capture leads us to more. And over 50% of all bombs are being found or handed in to the authorities by brave Afghans. The Taliban has made the incredulous claim of training an additional 2,000 suicide bomber. They claim they are going to use suicide bombers against ISAF and the Government of Afghanistan. In reality, more innocent civilians are killed or wounded by these terrorist actions than soldiers. Eighty percent of those killed are Afghan citizens. Not all their suicide bombs are even successful, and recently COM ISAF presented an award for bravery to a guard who risked his own life for the benefit of others, and wrestled a suicide bomber away from the bomb he was trying to explode. So despite much of what has been said recently, I am confident that the insurgency will not be as violent this year. There will still be some hard fighting, but we are taking the fight to them, and not letting them rest. We, in very close coordination with the Afghan Security Forces, will ensure that they remain on the back foot. Contact Information:
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