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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/10/08/wafg08.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/10/08/ixworld.html Daily Telegraph October 8, 2002 US troops will stay in Afghanistan 'until we win' By David Blair in Islamabad and Toby Harnden in Washington Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, said yesterday that American forces would remain in Afghanistan for "as long as it takes" and had shifted focus from combat to humanitarian activities. Devastating air raids and cruise missile strikes marked the opening of the onslaught on Afghanistan's Taliban regime and its al-Qa'eda allies on Oct 7 last year. But while the Taliban collapsed within six weeks, the mopping up has been prolonged. It was imperative, Mr Rumsfeld said, that Afghanistan did not become "a terrorist training camp" once more. "So whether somebody wanted to do it, or hoped to do it, or was somebody's first choice to do it, doesn't make an awful lot of difference today," he said. Currently, there are around 10,000 US troops, supported by combat aircraft, combing the mountains for terrorist fugitives. Bagram air base north of Kabul, where America and its allies have their headquarters, remains a noisy hive of activity. In an interview with The Telegraph however, Robert Finn, American ambassador in Kabul, said there was no end in sight to the operations. "The war is certainly not over. Military operations are continuing, especially in the eastern part of the country and they will continue until we win." The extremists retain strong pockets of popular support in the eastern provinces of Nangahar, Pakhtia and Paktika. This has allowed isolated bands of fighters to regroup and carry out hit-and-run attacks on American troops. To mop up the al-Qa'eda remnants, America has tried to buy the warlords with cash and weapons. But if Afghanistan is to be rebuilt as a nation, the warlords must be curbed. One year after their arrival in the country, American troops remain in the business of fighting, not nation building. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
