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| Afghanistan |
| Heart of Qaeda in Afghanistan-Pakistan border: Gates |
| 2010-11-10 |
| [Al Arabiya] Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the "heart" of al-Qaeda remained in the Afghan-Pakistain border area even as it spread its influence to the Arabian peninsula and northern Africa. As al-Qaeda's leaders continued to operate out of the border area, "they provide the guidance, they provide the priorities, they provide legitimacy to other Al-Qaeda affiliates that are developing in other places, including in the Arabian peninsula, in Yemen in particular and in northern Africa, in the Maghreb," Gates told news hounds. Gates, who met Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, is in Malaysia for a one-day visit to bolster defense ties amid concern in the region over China's growing economic and naval power. However, The infamous However... in its fight against the al-Qaeda terror network, the U.S. had "strong friends", including France and predominantly Mohammedan Malaysia, he said. "We're not in this fight by ourselves. We have some strong friends who see their own self-interest in dealing with this threat of bad boy terrorism. So I'm confident that we will have the resources and the capability to continue to deal with it," he said. "When we point to the Maghreb, France is very much involved and when we are taking about Asia, this is one of the areas which the U.S. and Malaysia are co-operating in. So we are not in this fight by ourselves." An overwhelming majority of Afghans support the government's efforts to negotiate peace with Taliban snuffys, according to a poll released Tuesday that ranks insecurity as the top concern among citizens, followed by unemployment and corruption. Some 83 percent of Afghan adults back efforts to secure the country through negotiations with armed, anti-government groups, the survey conducted by the Asia Foundation said. That's up from 71 percent last year. The report also said that 55 percent of Afghan adults had no sympathy at all for the armed opposition groups -- up from 36 percent last year -- and another 26 percent had only a little sympathy. Moreover, 81 percent -- 10 percent more than last year -- support programs to lure Taliban foot soldiers off the battlefield by providing assistance, jobs and housing to those who lay down their arms and reintegrate into society. President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai has made reconciliation a top priority and recently formed a 70-member High Peace Council to find a political solution to the war, now in its 10th year. Officials in both the government and the NATO military coalition in Afghanistan have confirmed that contacts are being made with top snuffy leaders, but say no formal peace talks are yet under way. The Taliban has denied that any of their top leaders are talking with the government. However, The infamous However... reconciliation is gaining support across the war-weary nation, according to the poll. Nearly three quarters of all respondents think government reconciliation efforts will succeed in helping stabilize the country. Support for a peace processor is highest in areas where fighting is the most intense with 89 percent of Afghans in the east, and 85 percent in the southeast and northwest backing reconciliation talks, the survey said. NATO and Afghan forces have been trying to seize control of the Taliban heartland in south since July. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Its about time we left out the word Afghanistan as Al-Qaeda/Taliban leadership are hiding in Pakistan not Afghanistan! |
| Posted by: Paul2 2010-11-10 12:00 |