LOC12:16
09:16 GMT
PARIS, Sept 29 (KUNA) -- The ongoing war against mainly Taliban militants
in Afghanistan is indeed winnable if the support of the Afghan population can
be fully enlisted and if the Afghan army is given the resources to fight the
war, US and NATO Commander-in-Chief Staley McChrystal said in an interview
published Tuesday.
Speaking exclusively to French daily Le Figaro, the US General said that he
believed the war in Afghanistan was not so much about killing Taliban as it
was about protecting civilians from Taliban attacks and from getting caught up
in cross fire or NATO or US operations and thus becoming what is known as
"collateral damage".
"It is the Afghan people that will decide who wins this war," he said. "The
Afghan State and the Afghan army are forces who will, in the end, win out on
this decision."
McChrystal said that all the Western countries could do here was behave
like "loyal partners" and he reiterated that he felt victory was possible
"because the Taliban and the other insurgent groups are not an irresistible
political force."
He said his new strategy included "embedded partnering" which involves
close cooperation between foreign and Afghan troops who would go on mission
together to help train the Afghans, who would also get better equipment and
resources.
But the General warned that it was still vital to reinforce the existing
foreign troop levels in Afghanistan and add another 40,000 foreign forces to
the 100,000 currently deployed in that country. Around 60,000 of those are US
troops, either under NATO command or in the separate "Enduring Freedom"
operation that was launched to catch Al-Qaeda members in the mountain areas on
the border with Pakistan.
The US Commander also said that it was important to give greater
responsibility to the Afghan army and for it to get legitimacy with the
population so it can operate more and more in an autonomous way.
Concerning Western forces, he said that they "still had a lot to learn"
about Afghanistan, its culture, language, people and custom and he would try
to encourage the foreign forces to blend in more.
"We have to get closer to the population and get rid of this armor and
flack-jackets. Our men must know Afghan history and culture better in order to
react better and in coordination with the Afghan comrades," McChrystal noted.
He said that he hoped the familiarization with the local population would
help give even better security for his men.
He remarked that the Afghan situation was "complex" as the NATO and other
forces on the side of the government were facing a mixture of nationalistic
insurgents or even warlords and also Taliban fighters, but also some
"trans-national" fighters from Al-Qaeda.
"The cement (between these groups) is their hatred of the government in
place," the General told Le Figaro.
"The Taliban are not liked by the population. They have no credible
political program and no charismatic leader (and) their only support comes
from the frustration of some of the youth who are out of work."
McChrystal said that there was a clear distinction between the
trans-nationals and the local fighters but there are links between them and he
warned that the Pakistani element of the equation is vital for Afghanistan.
"The stability of Pakistan and Afghanistan is crucial for the entire world.
And all these Islamist groups are threatening it, whether they be local or
trans-national," he said.
The General again stressed that one of the key elements of his proposal for
a new strategy was the Afghan population.
"Our business is not to kill the maximum of Taliban but to protect the
population. It must realize that our only concern is to protect it as much
from the enemy as from the harm our weapons can involuntarily cause it," he
said.
"On the ground, our forces must show more respect towards the population,"
he added, noting also the improvements needed in the Afghan security forces
both police and army. (end)
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KUNA 291216 Sep 09NNNN