USA: Head of U.S. Central Command warns progress in Afghanistan will be slower than Iraq

Record ID: 555922

  • Title: USA: Head of U.S. Central Command warns progress in Afghanistan will be slower than Iraq
  • Date: 10th December 2009
  • Summary: WASHINGTON D.C. UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 9, 2009) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) U.S. GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER OF U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND, ENTERING HEARING ROOM AND TAKING HIS SEAT WIDESHOT HEARING OF THE U.S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER OF U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND, SAYING: "Nonetheless, while certainly difficult, different, and in some ways tougher than Iraq, Afghanistan is no more hopeless than Iraq when I took command there in February 2007. Indeed, the number of violence and violent civilian deaths in Iraq were vastly higher than what we have seen in Afghanistan, but achieving progress in Afghanistan will be hard and the progress there likely will be slower in developing than was the progress achieved in Iraq." WIDESHOT PETRAEUS TESTIFYING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER OF U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND, SAYING: "Beyond the insurgent challenge, corruption within the Afghan government -- particularly the serious abuse of power by some individual leaders and their associates -- has eroded the government's legitimacy. Flaws in the recent presidential election have further undermined confidence in the government." MAN WRITING NOTE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER OF U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND, SAYING: "As in Iraq, our troopers and their partners in Afghanistan will have to fight their ways into enemy strongholds and clear enemy controlled population centers. As in Iraq, the situation is likely to get harder before it gets easier. Violence likely will increase initially particularly in the spring as the weather improves. Moreover, as the Afghan government with international encouragement and assistance moves to combat corruption and abuses of power, the result will likely be increased reporting on those problems and greater turmoil within the government as malign actors are identified and replaced. These factors and the seasonal nature of violence in Afghanistan will undoubtedly result in an increase in security incidents in the summer of 2010. It will be important, therefore, to withhold judgment on the success or failure of the strategy in Afghanistan until next December as the President has counseled." WIDESHOT PETRAEUS TESTIFYING
  • Embargoed: 25th December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA55YUKBVOQDMGRYAK8NREIX9HA
  • Story Text: Violence in Afghanistan may climb in the short-term, along with internal government turmoil, U.S. General David Petraeus told Congress on Wednesday (December 9, 2009), urging lawmakers to reserve judgment on the new war strategy for a full year.
    Petraeus, who as head of U.S. Central Command is in charge of winding down in the war in Iraq and overseeing a new surge of 30,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said he expected increased Afghan fighting in the spring and the summer.
    He also said the Afghan government's expected moves to combat corruption would likely result in "greater turmoil within the government as malign actors are identified and replaced."
    "It will be important, therefore, to withhold judgment on the success or failure of the strategy in Afghanistan until next December, as the President has counseled," Petraeus said.
    Petraeus, who in his previous role as the top Iraq commander oversaw a surge of forces credited with helping pull that country back from the brink, was the latest U.S. official to go before Congress to defend President Barack Obama's new war strategy announced last week.
    All of the additional 30,000 U.S. forces are expected to be deployed by the summer or fall, aiming to reverse Taliban momentum and allow for a gradual withdrawal starting in July 2011, according to Obama's plan.
    Analysts warn a perceived deterioration of conditions in Afghanistan following the new war strategy could hurt Obama's Democrats in mid-term 2010 elections, further eroding public support for the costly, eight-year-old war.
    Officials, including Petraeus, appear to be bracing the public for trouble ahead, including rising casualties.
    The U.S. general, who oversees U.S. military operations and strategy for 20 countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, said Afghanistan "was no more hopeless" than Iraq was when he took command there in 2007.
    "Indeed, the level of violence and number of violent civilian deaths in Iraq were vastly higher than we have seen in Afghanistan," Petraeus said.
    "But, achieving progress in Afghanistan will be hard and the progress there likely will be slower in developing than was the progress achieved in Iraq" he said.
    He also warned that the situation was "likely to get harder before it gets easier."
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