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WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2008) - U.S., coalition and Afghan
security forces are hunting down the Taliban and other insurgents
operating in Afghanistan, while vital reconstruction and governance
programs continue to spread across the country, a senior U.S.
military officer said today.
Steady progress is being made in Afghanistan in the areas of
security, development and governance, Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J.
Schloesser, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 101 and 101st
Airborne Division, told Pentagon reporters during a
satellite-carried news conference.
"We're clearly not done, and I'm nowhere near yet able to say
that we've reached irreversible momentum," said Schloesser, who
arrived in Afghanistan in April and also heads counterinsurgency
operations for NATO's Regional Command East. "But I do know that
we're making good progress, and each and every day we're making a
difference in the Afghan people's lives."
Noting a 40-percent increase in enemy attacks in his sector in
the January-to-May timeframe compared to a year ago, Schloesser
pointed out that attacks on U.S., coalition and Afghan security
forces have gone up each year since 2002. The general also
acknowledged that 40 soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and
civilians have been killed since his command took responsibility
for the region in early April.
"And again, our heart goes out ... to their selfless sacrifice,"
Schloesser said. Czech and Polish soldiers, he noted, were among
the fallen.
The rise in attacks is attributable, in part, to increased
activity against the enemy, Schloesser said. An improved Afghan
army, as well as U.S. and NATO troops, he noted, are taking the
fight to the enemy in places that hadn't been patrolled before.
"Clearly, the Afghan National Army is better than it was last
year, and to be truthful, we are going to places that they did not
operate in last year or the year prior," Schloesser said.
U.S., coalition and Afghan forces are "hunting down the enemy of
the Afghan people and trying to rout them," the general said.
Insurgents have a choice: leave Afghanistan, stay and make
peace, or be captured or killed, Schloesser said. "So we're taking
the fight to the enemy," the general said, "but we are working in
support areas that we had not been before inside of
Afghanistan."
The insurgents are attacking schools, killing students and
teachers in the process, while also targeting county and provincial
government centers as well as road-building projects, Schloesser
said. In fact, he added, they're attacking "anything that will
improve the quality of life for the normal Afghan citizen" in an
effort to separate the Afghan people from their government.
However, the insurgents' destructive efforts "don't offer any
kind of positive effect" for the Afghan people, Schloesser
said.
Meanwhile, U.S. military officials are working with Afghan
authorities and international agencies to build schools, roads and
improve infrastructure across Afghanistan. Today, he said, about
$240 million in reconstruction projects are planned.
In addition, the Texas and Missouri National Guard have brought
agricultural teams to Afghanistan to help out Afghan farmers,
Schloesser reported. "We're seeing good results already," he
said.
The symbol of security and governance for the Afghan people is
their army, Schloesser said.
"I personally believe that we are right at the point where we're
almost at the tipping point, where the momentum of the Afghan
National Army will not be able to go backwards," Schloesser said.
"We look forward to seeing some increases in their capability and
their numbers and capacity in the future, and I've just got to say
it's a real pleasure to all of us to work with such a group of
professionals."
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