Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 6, 2007
Pg. 5
Afghan government secure, general says
By Ron Martz
Taliban commanders in Afghanistan are vowing that this year will be the bloodiest for NATO forces since a U.S.-led coalition ousted them from power in 2001.
But the incoming NATO commander said Friday that while he expects an uptick in attacks by the insurgency, he does not anticipate the Taliban coming close to its stated goal of overthrowing the coalition government of President Hamid Karzai.
"They made a pretty good run at it this past year, the spring and the summer, especially down in the south, but they were soundly defeated by the NATO forces. But I think they will come back. I think they will make another run at it," Army Gen. Dan McNeill said as he prepared to leave Fort McPherson-based Forces Command in Atlanta after nearly three years.
This will be the second tour in Afghanistan for McNeill, 60, a 38-year Army veteran who also has seen combat in Vietnam, Panama and Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
In his previous assignment in Afghanistan, McNeill was in charge of all U.S. forces. Now, he will be returning in early February as the first American commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which oversees troops from 37 countries and has been headed by a British general for more than five years.
McNeill said he established a good working relationship with Karzai during his last tour in 2002-2003, and he has talked to him by telephone since being confirmed by the Senate for what could prove to be a particularly sensitive job politically.
Although McNeill will be the NATO military commander in Afghanistan, he also will have to work with Pakistani military officials on the touchy issue of Taliban and al-Qaida forces using the troubled border region between the two countries as a safe haven and training ground.
McNeill declined in Friday's interview to get into specifics about the border area, saying only, "It's a very complex issue."
McNeill said the most recent threat by the Taliban is a repeat of what was said the last two years. "But I don't take it lightly," he added.
"They are likely to come back better equipped, maybe [better] trained. They are more likely to come back operating in larger formations," he said.
The number of attacks on coalition forces increased significantly from 2005 to 2006, from more than 900 to more than 2,500, as did the number of suicide bombers (from about 20 to more than 115) and the number of roadside bomb attacks (from fewer than 800 to more than 2,800).
At the same time, the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan went down, from 93 in 2005 to 87 last year.
McNeill said one reason for the increase in the number of attacks is that NATO forces are now patrolling more aggressively throughout the country.
In addition to trying to beat back the increasing threats from the Taliban, al-Qaida and at least two splinter groups, McNeill said reconstruction will be one of his biggest challenges.
"Much of the infrastructure has been destroyed and all of it has been neglected," he said.
But any thoughts of lessening the commitment to Afghanistan, he said, could be disastrous for the international community.
"I fear the country could plunge into chaos again and set the conditions for extremists to go back in and do exactly what they did before," McNeill said.
January 6, 2007
Pg. 5
Afghan government secure, general says
By Ron Martz
Taliban commanders in Afghanistan are vowing that this year will be the bloodiest for NATO forces since a U.S.-led coalition ousted them from power in 2001.
But the incoming NATO commander said Friday that while he expects an uptick in attacks by the insurgency, he does not anticipate the Taliban coming close to its stated goal of overthrowing the coalition government of President Hamid Karzai.
"They made a pretty good run at it this past year, the spring and the summer, especially down in the south, but they were soundly defeated by the NATO forces. But I think they will come back. I think they will make another run at it," Army Gen. Dan McNeill said as he prepared to leave Fort McPherson-based Forces Command in Atlanta after nearly three years.
This will be the second tour in Afghanistan for McNeill, 60, a 38-year Army veteran who also has seen combat in Vietnam, Panama and Iraq during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
In his previous assignment in Afghanistan, McNeill was in charge of all U.S. forces. Now, he will be returning in early February as the first American commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which oversees troops from 37 countries and has been headed by a British general for more than five years.
McNeill said he established a good working relationship with Karzai during his last tour in 2002-2003, and he has talked to him by telephone since being confirmed by the Senate for what could prove to be a particularly sensitive job politically.
Although McNeill will be the NATO military commander in Afghanistan, he also will have to work with Pakistani military officials on the touchy issue of Taliban and al-Qaida forces using the troubled border region between the two countries as a safe haven and training ground.
McNeill declined in Friday's interview to get into specifics about the border area, saying only, "It's a very complex issue."
McNeill said the most recent threat by the Taliban is a repeat of what was said the last two years. "But I don't take it lightly," he added.
"They are likely to come back better equipped, maybe [better] trained. They are more likely to come back operating in larger formations," he said.
The number of attacks on coalition forces increased significantly from 2005 to 2006, from more than 900 to more than 2,500, as did the number of suicide bombers (from about 20 to more than 115) and the number of roadside bomb attacks (from fewer than 800 to more than 2,800).
At the same time, the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan went down, from 93 in 2005 to 87 last year.
McNeill said one reason for the increase in the number of attacks is that NATO forces are now patrolling more aggressively throughout the country.
In addition to trying to beat back the increasing threats from the Taliban, al-Qaida and at least two splinter groups, McNeill said reconstruction will be one of his biggest challenges.
"Much of the infrastructure has been destroyed and all of it has been neglected," he said.
But any thoughts of lessening the commitment to Afghanistan, he said, could be disastrous for the international community.
"I fear the country could plunge into chaos again and set the conditions for extremists to go back in and do exactly what they did before," McNeill said.