Petraeus: al-Qaida not operating in Afghanistan

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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."



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQVT-ghyrwWiz8B0SSaqGtAttDHQD983CKU80

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You know, it's really sad when I don't know who I distrust more: the US military leadership, or the terrorists.

What does it mean if AQ isn't in Afghanistan, but affiliated organizations still are?!

How does that do us any good?

[L0oniX]

1. Like I've said before ...why the f*ck are we fighting the Taliban? WTF is Osama?

The ever morphing reason we are over there continues ...at the benefit of the MIC.

[grahamhgreen]

2. The CIA is an "affiliated organization", considering they funded al-qaeda. Where is Bin Laden?

Why are we there?

The Bush & Bin Laden families have been in business together for over 20 years.

And what business are they in - oh yeah, selling arms (and creating wars???).

[Vidar]

3. If we were serious about destroying the Taliban, we would have

overthrown Saudi Arabia, not Iraq.

[EFerrari]

8. Taliban came out of the refugee camps in Pakistan.

But, there was no use invading them, either.

[Vidar]

12. Yes, but the Saudis were financing them.

[EFerrari]

13. Some factions in the kingdom do finance them. They get $$$

from all around the Gulf.

[Zhade]

4. Then get the fuck out! Now!

NT!

[underpants]

6. No one wants Afghanistan that is why it was avaiable to the Taliban

and the Taliban let alQaeda operate so long as they didn't piss off the locals (war lords)

The problem is that being on control of Afghanistan is that you basically and only get Kabul.

That is the way it has always been.

[bemildred]

5. Petraeus is the sort of guy who gives bullshit a bad name. nt

[saigon68]

7. This is the JackAss who hired sadam's old army

The General Accounting Office said that the weapons distribution was haphazard, rushed, and did not follow established procedures-- particularly from 2004 to 2005, when security training was led by Petraeus and Iraq's security forces began to see combat in places like Najaf and Samarra.<83><84> Over a hundred thousand AK-47 assault rifles and pistols were delivered to Iraqi forces without full documentation, and some of the missing weapons may have been abducted by Iraqi insurgents.<85><86> Thousands of body armour pieces have also been lost.<87> The Independent has stated that the military believed "the situation on the ground was so urgent, and the agency responsible for recording the transfers of arms so short staffed, that field commanders had little choice in the matter."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus

He also is responsible for the Phrase "Money is ammunition"

Petraeus strongly supported the use of commanders' discretionary funds for public works, telling Coalition Provisional Authority director L. Paul Bremer "Petraeus strongly supported the use of commanders' discretionary funds for public works, telling Coalition Provisional Authority director L. Paul Bremer "Money is ammunition" during the director's first visit to Mosul.<63><64> Petraeus' often repeated<65><66><67><68> catchphrase<69> was later incorporated into official military briefings< during the director's first visit to Mosul.[63><64> Petraeus' often repeated<65><66><67><68> catchphrase<69> was later incorporated into official military briefings<[br />
The distribution ( and subsequent theft) of 14 Billion =$14,000,000,000.00 = 300 tons of hundred Dollar bills is also his brainchild.

The Air Force was flying C-5s packed to the rafters of pallets. They stripped most of the cash from the entire federal reserve system

[bemildred]

9. Hi Saigon.

Petraeus is all about Petraeus. And he is incompetent. This is not a new sort of thing in Generals.
:hi:

[Joe2131]

10. Were they

ever there in Afghanistan?

[Bandit]

11. Al Qaeda was not working in Iraq either until the USA said it was.

They said we were using what they described as the "flypaper strategy". Because our troops were there they would come like flies to honey. I wonder why that same "brilliant" strategy isn't working in Afghanistan now.