President Obama: Our goal Is To "Disrupt, Dismantle And Defeat Al Qaeda In Pakistan & Afghanistan"

[Turborama]

Run time: 01:46 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLja1sXR7vY   Posted on YouTube: May 04, 2011 By YouTube Member: Naskeleng Views on YouTube: 1   Posted on DU: May 04, 2011 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 501

 

Excerpt from: A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan

March 27, 2009

President Obama lays out his plans for a comprehensive and regional approach to Afghanistan and Pakistan, from military support to developmental aid.

=snip=

Many people in the United States -- and many in partner countries that have sacrificed so much -- have a simple question: What is our purpose in Afghanistan? After so many years, they ask, why do our men and women still fight and die there? And they deserve a straightforward answer.

So let me be clear: Al Qaeda and its allies -- the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks -- are in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the United States homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan. And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban -- or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged -- that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.

The future of Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the future of its neighbor, Pakistan. In the nearly eight years since 9/11, al Qaeda and its extremist allies have moved across the border to the remote areas of the Pakistani frontier. This almost certainly includes al Qaeda's leadership: Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.

....

I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That's the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: We will defeat you.

Full transcript: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-a-New-Strategy-for-Afghanistan-and-Pakistan/

Full video: http://www.whitehouse.gov/video/A-New-Strategy-for-Afghanistan-and-Pakistan%20

[mucifer]

1. So he's not going to try to get us out of Afghanistan?

[Turborama]

3. Look at the date.

This was meant as a reminder of what he said he was focusing on in 2009.

[pauldp]

2. So tell me Mr. President - how long have we known about the ISI

harboring and funding top Al Qaeda leaders? Months? Years?
Call me cynical but my guess is 15 or 20 years.

And how many billions have we given them?