US to continue missile strikes in Pakistan: Gates
Describing Afghanistan as the greatest military challenge for the US, defence secretary Robert Gates has indicated that missile strikes in Pakistan will continue to root out al-Qaeda members based across the porous border.
By ET Bureau |
WASHINGTON: Describing Afghanistan as the greatest military challenge for the US, defence secretary Robert Gates has indicated that missile strikes in Pakistan will continue to root out al-Qaeda members based across the porous border.
���There is little doubt that our greatest military challenge right now is Afghanistan,��� Mr Gates said in his first comments to the Congress as President Barack Obama���s defence secretary on Tuesday.
Later, in response to a question from the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Senator Carl Levin, he said missile strikes in Pakistan will continue in an effort to root out al-Qaeda members who have based themselves across the border from Afghanistan.
���Both president Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after al-Qaeda wherever al-Qaeda is. And we will continue to pursue this,��� he said.
Asked by Levin if Pakistan is aware of this continued pursuit, Mr Gates replied simply, ���Yes, sir���. And in one of the clearest indications of the military���s plan to add troops in Afghanistan, Mr Gates outlined a deployment of two brigades by spring and a third by late summer.
John McCain, defeated Republican presidential candidate who was instrumental in pushing for a troop surge in Iraq, warned that a troop increase in Afghanistan may not achieve the same results.
Mr Gates himself noted that increased military presence must be accompanied by non-military solutions if progress is to be made in the war.
���While this will undoubtedly be a long and difficult fight, we can attain what I believe should be among our strategic objectives: an Afghan people who do not provide a safe haven for Al Qaeda, reject the rule of the Taliban, and support the legitimate government that they elected and in which they have a stake,��� Mr Gates said.
Regarding withdrawal from Iraq, Mr Gates said the military is planning various options, with the quickest withdrawal being the 16-month period ��� ending in May 2010 ��� outlined by Obama when he was running for president.
���As our military presence decreases over time, we should still expect to be involved in Iraq on some level for many years to come - assuming a sovereign Iraq continues to seek our partnership,��� he said.
���The stability of Iraq remains critical to the future of the Middle East, a region that multiple presidents of both political parties have considered vital to the national security of the United States,��� Mr Gates added.
���There is little doubt that our greatest military challenge right now is Afghanistan,��� Mr Gates said in his first comments to the Congress as President Barack Obama���s defence secretary on Tuesday.
Later, in response to a question from the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Senator Carl Levin, he said missile strikes in Pakistan will continue in an effort to root out al-Qaeda members who have based themselves across the border from Afghanistan.
���Both president Bush and President Obama have made clear that we will go after al-Qaeda wherever al-Qaeda is. And we will continue to pursue this,��� he said.
Asked by Levin if Pakistan is aware of this continued pursuit, Mr Gates replied simply, ���Yes, sir���. And in one of the clearest indications of the military���s plan to add troops in Afghanistan, Mr Gates outlined a deployment of two brigades by spring and a third by late summer.
John McCain, defeated Republican presidential candidate who was instrumental in pushing for a troop surge in Iraq, warned that a troop increase in Afghanistan may not achieve the same results.
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Mr Gates himself noted that increased military presence must be accompanied by non-military solutions if progress is to be made in the war.
���While this will undoubtedly be a long and difficult fight, we can attain what I believe should be among our strategic objectives: an Afghan people who do not provide a safe haven for Al Qaeda, reject the rule of the Taliban, and support the legitimate government that they elected and in which they have a stake,��� Mr Gates said.
Regarding withdrawal from Iraq, Mr Gates said the military is planning various options, with the quickest withdrawal being the 16-month period ��� ending in May 2010 ��� outlined by Obama when he was running for president.
���As our military presence decreases over time, we should still expect to be involved in Iraq on some level for many years to come - assuming a sovereign Iraq continues to seek our partnership,��� he said.
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���The stability of Iraq remains critical to the future of the Middle East, a region that multiple presidents of both political parties have considered vital to the national security of the United States,��� Mr Gates added.
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