WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama Tuesday acknowledged the situation in Afghanistan was still tough, asserting his administration had been instrumental in dismantling the Al Qaeda terrorist network.
“I don't wanna paint too rosy a picture. The situation in Afghanistan is still tough. War has been a part of life in Afghanistan for over 30 years and the US cannot eliminate the Taliban in that country,” Obama said.
In a speech on his administration’s counter-terrorism approach, he said: “But what we can do is deny Al-Qaeda a safe haven, and what we can do is support Afghans who want a better future.”
With that in mind, Obama said, his government had worked with the Afghan military and the unity government. The US helped Afghan girls go to school, supported investments in health care, electricity and education..
Obama recalled when he took office some eight years ago Al Qaeda had regrouped in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan and was actively planning attacks against the US.
“We surged our efforts along with our allies in Afghanistan, which allowed us to focus on dismantling Al-Qaeda and give the Afghan government the opportunity to succeed. And this focus on Al-Qaeda, the most dangerous threat to the United States at the time, paid dividends,” he claimed.
“Today, by any measure, core Al-Qaeda, the organization that hit us on 9/11, is a shadow of its former self. Plots directed from within Afghanistan and Pakistan had been consistently disrupted. Its leadership has been decimated. Dozens of terrorist leaders have been killed...”
Importantly, he continued, the US had built a counter-terrorism capability that could sustain this pressure against any network in South Asia that might threaten America. That was because of the work of US service members, Obama said. (Pajhwok)