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| ON TARGET — Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Edmond Scott directs an F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter on the flight deck of the USS George Washington. The Washington is deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Jessica Davis, USN |
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Rumsfeld Says Much Achieved,
Yet Much Remains to be Done |
| 70 nations now supporting war on terrorism |
| By Linda D. Kozaryn / American Forces Press Service |
WASHINGTON — Nine months into the global war against terrorism, the U.S. remains closer to the beginning than to the end, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday at the Pentagon.
"Our goal is that Afghanistan not become a base for global terrorist networks again," Rumsfeld said. "That work is, of course, by no means complete. Taliban and Al Qaeda fugitives are still at large, some in Afghanistan; others fled across the borders waiting for the opportunity to return."
Danger remains, as evidenced by the recent attacks on U.S. forces in Kandahar and in Oruzgan Province, he said, and by the several firefights between Pakistani forces and Al Qaeda terrorists. Coalition forces continue to search caves and to sweep for arms, intelligence and small pockets of terrorists.
In recent weeks, he noted, local Afghans have told U.S. and coalition forces where to find weapons caches, which are then either destroyed or turned over to the Afghan National Army.
To date, Rumsfeld noted, the campaign has caused fewer tragic losses of civilian life than any war in modern history. He said U.S. and coalition forces have gone to "extraordinary lengths not only to avoid civilian deaths but to save civilian lives."
"It's an unfortunate fact of war that inevitably innocent civilians are killed," he said. "This has been true throughout the history of warfare and it remains true even in this age of advanced technology and precision-guided munitions."
While much work remains to be done in Afghanistan, Rumsfeld said, the U.S.-led effort has accomplished much in reversing the tide of terrorism and restoring freedom to the Afghan people. Rumsfeld highlighted the transformation that's taken place in Afghanistan. Nine months ago, he said, "it was a pariah state, a training ground for thousands of terrorists." Al Qaeda had free rein to plan and organize attacks and the Taliban brutally repressed the Afghan people.
Today, Rumsfeld said, the Taliban are no longer in power and Al Qaeda are on the run. "Together with coalition partners, we've rounded up some 600 terrorists in Afghanistan and many hundreds more worldwide," he said. "They're being interrogated. They're yielding information that is helping to prevent further violence and bloodshed."
The humanitarian crisis has been averted and the Afghan people have been liberated. More |
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| Operation Cherokee
Sky #3 |
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| Canadian soldiers secure a landing zone after an air assault in Afghanistan |
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Robert Speisman was a passenger on American Airlines flight 77.