Wednesday, January 27, 2010
WASHINGTON: The commander of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan has said foreign fighters allied with the Taliban cannot be "reintegrated" into Afghan society and some may have to be killed or captured.
Plans by Kabul to persuade Taliban members to lay down their arms would not apply to foreigners who had joined the insurgency, often for ideological reasons, US General Stanley McChrystal suggested in a NATO video posted on the web on Tuesday.
"I think what we probably will find is where we are successful in decreasing the Taliban, the foreigners just won't have anywhere to go," he said.
"Some of them will obviously be killed or captured because... this is just what they want to do," he said. "Some will leave I think. But I think they will be increasingly irrelevant."
Foreign fighters are completely dependent on the Taliban and cannot operate without their guidance and networks, he said.
The general's comments came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai promotes a plan to woo Taliban fighters and broker peace with insurgent leaders ahead of an international conference in London on Thursday.
McChrystal and senior US officials have recently signalled more flexibility on the issue, as Karzai appeals to international donors to bankroll a scheme that would offer cash and protection for those willing to walk away from the battlefield.
McChrystal also said that he expected some Afghan insurgents would not formally change sides in the war but merely choose to stop attacking Kabul government forces.
"I think a lot of reintegration won't be formal," he said. "It will just be, you'll just notice there are fewer of them."
The commander also reiterated his optimistic view of the NATO war effort, saying that by the end of the year there would be definite signs of progress and by mid-2011, it will be clear that the Taliban cannot win.
US troops are scheduled to start a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2011.
McChrystal made similar comments in congressional hearings last month after President Barack Obama ordered a surge of 30,000 reinforcements to shift the momentum against the spreading insurgency.
In a television interview this month, McChrystal said the US-led force was beginning to "turn the tide" against the Taliban.
WASHINGTON: The commander of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan has said foreign fighters allied with the Taliban cannot be "reintegrated" into Afghan society and some may have to be killed or captured.
Plans by Kabul to persuade Taliban members to lay down their arms would not apply to foreigners who had joined the insurgency, often for ideological reasons, US General Stanley McChrystal suggested in a NATO video posted on the web on Tuesday.
"I think what we probably will find is where we are successful in decreasing the Taliban, the foreigners just won't have anywhere to go," he said.
"Some of them will obviously be killed or captured because... this is just what they want to do," he said. "Some will leave I think. But I think they will be increasingly irrelevant."
Foreign fighters are completely dependent on the Taliban and cannot operate without their guidance and networks, he said.
The general's comments came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai promotes a plan to woo Taliban fighters and broker peace with insurgent leaders ahead of an international conference in London on Thursday.
McChrystal and senior US officials have recently signalled more flexibility on the issue, as Karzai appeals to international donors to bankroll a scheme that would offer cash and protection for those willing to walk away from the battlefield.
McChrystal also said that he expected some Afghan insurgents would not formally change sides in the war but merely choose to stop attacking Kabul government forces.
"I think a lot of reintegration won't be formal," he said. "It will just be, you'll just notice there are fewer of them."
The commander also reiterated his optimistic view of the NATO war effort, saying that by the end of the year there would be definite signs of progress and by mid-2011, it will be clear that the Taliban cannot win.
US troops are scheduled to start a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2011.
McChrystal made similar comments in congressional hearings last month after President Barack Obama ordered a surge of 30,000 reinforcements to shift the momentum against the spreading insurgency.
In a television interview this month, McChrystal said the US-led force was beginning to "turn the tide" against the Taliban.
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