Petraeus: al-Qaida not operating in Afghanistan (VIDEO)

(AP) WASHINGTON — The chief of the U.S. Central Command says al-Qaida no longer is operating in Afghanistan. But Gen. David Petraeus (peh-TRAY'-uhs) says affiliated organizations still have "enclaves and sanctuaries" in the country.

Petraeus says al-Qaida, which carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, has suffered "very significant losses" in recent months in its hide-outs across the rugged, mountainous border in Pakistan.

He's praising Pakistan for its offensive to root out Taliban militants sheltering al-Qaida.

Petraeus spoke Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

Comments

[JoeBlough]

04:41 PM on 05/11/2009

He's lying again.

[KCBW]

12:08 PM on 05/11/2009

Below is a great report released by Chatham House:

"Transatlantic Dialogues on International Law: Preparing for the Next US Administration"

http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/files/13377_il051208.pdf

Important read in light of United States' early May Air Strike in Afghanistan which is in clear violation of Article 51 Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions.

Judge for yourself if the US broke the law by the recent village airstrike:

http://www.icrc.org/IHL.nsf/WebART/470-750065?OpenDocument

[IntellectuallyHonest]

10:40 AM on 05/11/2009

Then why are we there?

[Rog49Thomas]

09:43 AM on 05/11/2009

That I believe constitutes "Mission Accomplished".

Taliban out of power. AlQaeda out of the country.

Bring our brave servicemen and servicewomen home - alive and unmaimed.

[NoMoFearNoMoHate]

01:18 PM on 05/11/2009

the problem is that our actions have insured that they will simply come back as soon as we leave, no matter when that is, so you're right, we may as well leave, but the problem is far from over and has only unfortunately been exacerbated by the path that was chosen.

[Dredd]

06:59 AM on 05/11/2009

Wonder how long it will be until the state of the union speech will be given by Petraeus?

Not much difference, he would read it out loud before the assembled rubber stamps ...

http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-americas-greatest-enemy.html

[Luvial]

10:26 PM on 05/10/2009

Never have so many done so little with so much.

[Icomeinpeace]

10:35 PM on 05/10/2009

Thats because the American military is held to unreal standards. If they were just aloud to........., this would of been over years ago.

[ipv4]

08:56 AM on 05/11/2009

Please finish, allowed to what??

[hortonhearsawho2]

10:53 PM on 05/10/2009

title of the new palin family book...

[AliMB]

09:57 PM on 05/10/2009

Part I

General Petraeus' commentary is accurate. For several reasons, AQ has shifted its command to Pakistan; though its tentacles clearly reach into Afghanistan. Petraeus' praise of Islamabad is also part of an Administration-wide effort to bolster the weak Zardari government. Pakistan has been sliding backwards at a drip-like pace. After the troubling events in the Swat valley, many fear that said disintegrati0n is accelerating at an alarming rate.

There is arguably no greater anti-American constituency than the Taliban-infested tribal belt(essentially the 15% Pashtu population). Any presence of US troops would be met with fierce resistance. The best counterterr0rism tool is a Bush-implemented program: three-letter predators.

In February, senior intelligence officers claimed that drones over the past 6-9 months (about the time the Bush Administration accelerated targeting) had been "so successful" that it is was "possible to foresee a complete AQ defeat" in the Af-Pak border region. The CIA argued that the leadership of AQ had been "decimated". Petraeus' statement that AQ suffered "very significant losses" in recent months confirms the aforementioned account.

[AliMB]

09:57 PM on 05/10/2009

Part II

President Obama correctly decided to continue the aforementioned program. In fact, he accelerated it. Off the top of my head, there have been about 15 strikes under Obama (less than 4 months), compared to about 35 in all of 2008. The Administration also authorized extension/expansion e.g. adding anti-Islamabad elements such as Baitullah Mehsud's Taliban.

For whatever reason, there are reports that the Obama Administration may be "reevaluating" the program (though I caution; this information was based on a UK paper's anonymous sources). There is no denying that there are adverse consequences as a result of carrying out drone strikes. However, in terms of US policy, I believe the negative effect is gr0ssly exaggerated i.e. cancelation of the program wouldn't lead to meaningful political reconciliation, nor will it tone down anti-Americanism by any substantive degree.

For some of these reasons, talk of prematurely rolling back the program is likely inaccurate.

[zaz33]

10:04 PM on 05/10/2009

Inappropriate on Mother's day.

Families live in houses.

[AliMB]

10:15 PM on 05/10/2009

Where I live, it's not Mother's day

[cycle3man]

08:54 PM on 05/10/2009

Bull! They have the ultimate recuting tool: "GUANTANAMO"

[Meah]

08:31 PM on 05/10/2009

Sounds like the beginning of the drum beats for war in Pakistan. Sounds familiar, eh?

[zaz33]

09:58 PM on 05/10/2009

Have to admit there's an awful lot of propaganda floating around.

[Khirad]

06:05 AM on 05/11/2009

Yeah, and India says, YOU invade Pakistan? Listen...

[BannedInBoston]

08:25 PM on 05/10/2009

Um, why are we there, then?

[BannedInBoston]

08:44 PM on 05/10/2009

Oh, wait. I forgot. We're bring truth, justice and the American Way (plus democracy into the bargain)to Afghans. Aren't we good.

[Icomeinpeace]

10:46 PM on 05/10/2009

dont forget mcdonalds and target.

[mick7191]

08:19 PM on 05/10/2009

Does this mean we can leave?

[DocSyracuse]

08:09 PM on 05/10/2009

Seems like there's a major new leftie meme here:

"Al-Quaida is a CIA hoax."

Next will probably be- Islamic militancy is a CIA hoax.

[BannedInBoston]

08:27 PM on 05/10/2009

Don't put words in our mouths. (Oh, I know, it's a conservative thing, but still...)

[Meah]

08:33 PM on 05/10/2009

The flag should not be your moniker. How disrespectful!

[DocSyracuse]

12:33 AM on 05/11/2009

Actually, what's disrepectful is the accusation that CIA is behind al-qaeda, but you wouldn't appreciate that, I'm sure.

[army193]

07:31 PM on 05/10/2009

The major problem was we let Bush move on to Iraq and 8 years was lost...

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html

Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current level, among the lowest in the world. Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate roughly $3 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.

Is there anything you find in the above statement where the help is needed to have any resemblance of winning?

[scottpot]

08:07 PM on 05/10/2009

So we can just buy all of the opium for 3 Billion and save oursleves a lot grief.But our policy is to bomb on faulty intelligence,express regrets,continue to waste billions,create enemies and victims, and keep repeating that we will turn the corner in the next six months.We just need to train the Afghans,Iraqis,Pakistanis,Yemenis,Saudis,Iranians,Somalians to be more like us.

[marbiol]

08:58 PM on 05/10/2009

i presume "we" is defined as our ELECTED representatives who saw fit to allow our government the use of force to ENFORCE existing UN Resolutions regarding Iraq???

[DocSyracuse]

07:31 PM on 05/10/2009

"And al-Quaida is made up by CIA"

Wow. You are really far gone, sir.

If al-Q is fiction, this has been the most convincing, multi-national hoax ever perpetrated in history.

[facebook1]

07:30 PM on 05/10/2009

Pakistan Army is AQ

[BannedInBoston]

08:46 PM on 05/10/2009

(Actually, the Pakistani Intellgence Agency....)

[facebook1]

10:42 PM on 05/10/2009

The move people between the Pak Army and the ISI. Gen Giyani The Chief of the Army used to be the head of the ISI. and ISI and AQ members also mix it up. Their families marry into each other.