So we're indefinitely tied up in Afghanistan with 50,000 soldiers and multi billion dollar budgets to hunt down up to 50-100 well-tanned cave dwellers wearing recalled Crox and Crown Royal satchels over their shoulders?
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CIA chief: Afghan war has 'serious problems' but U.S. making progress
Sun Jun 27, 1:21 pm ET
CIA Director Leon Panetta acknowledged Sunday that the war in Afghanistan has “serious problems” but insisted the U.S. is making progress even amid rising violence and casualties.
“It's harder, it's slower than I think anyone anticipated,” Panetta told ABC’s This Week, citing the country’s shaky government, drug trafficking and Taliban insurgency as the key challenges in the conflict. “At the same time, we are seeing increased violence.”
While he insisted the current strategy is “the right strategy,” Panetta admitted the ultimate outcome of the war rests entirely on the Afghan government. “The key to success or failure is whether the Afghans accept responsibility, are able to deploy an effective army and police force to maintain stability,” the CIA director said. “If they can do that, then I think we’re going to be able achieve the kind of progress and the kind of stability that the President is after.”
Asked what victory in Afghanistan “looks like,” Panetta said the end goal is “making sure al Qaeda never finds another safe haven from which to attack this country” or “for a militant Taliban that welcomes al Qaeda.”
Still, when asked how many al Qaeda are actually in Afghanistan currently, the CIA director admitted the number is “relatively small" because of U.S. drone attacks and other efforts to disrupt the terrorist network. “At most, we’re looking at 50 to 100, maybe less. It’s in that vicinity. There’s no question that the main location of al Qaeda is in the tribal areas of Pakistan,” Panetta said.
The target Americans most associate with the war, Osama bin Laden, remains hidden, likely along tribal areas in Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan. Still, Panetta said, the U.S. isn’t entirely sure where he is, as the al Qaeda leader is heavily guarded and is in “deep hiding.”
“I think it goes back almost to the early 2000s in terms of actually when he was moving to Afghanistan to Pakistan that we had the last precise information about where he might be located,” Panetta said. “Since then, it’s been very difficult to get any intelligence on his exact location.”
Watch the full interview here (courtesy of ABC News): |
