President Barack Obama said on Monday that the U.S must never allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists again.
Speaking at the 95th National Convention for Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, Georgia, Obama said: “Today we salute our forces serving there on a more limited mission — supporting Afghan forces, going after terrorists — because we must never allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again.”
He said: “And we’ve come together to welcome our newest veterans into your ranks — from Desert Storm, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq — our proud 9/11 Generation. This is a time of transition. When I came into office, we had nearly 180,000 American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, that number is less than 15,000. Most of our troops have come home.”
“To all of you who served in Afghanistan, you can take enormous pride in the progress you helped achieve: Driving al Qaeda out of its camps. Toppling the Taliban. Delivering justice to Osama bin Laden.
“Helping Afghans improve their lives. There are millions of boys and girls in school, and democratic elections and a democratic government. Training Afghan forces to take responsibility for their own security so that we are no longer engaged in a major ground war in Afghanistan. That is your legacy.”
He said that although it’s absolutely necessary to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria, it is not sufficient to deal with the threat posed by Daesh, but that the “metastasis” of Daesh must be dealt with.
“So, I think it is fair to say that we are continuing our efforts on that front as well in places like Afghanistan, in places like Libya. And we’ll continue to do that, because we want to, again, strike at ISIL (Daesh) anywhere it rears its head,” he said.
“And we are supporting those local forces on the ground that — that see this threat directly in their own — in their own country.”
Asked whether there were any plans to step up operations in Afghanistan, Obama said: “Well, I think you know what we’re — we’re doing in terms of the support for the Afghan National Security Forces, the changes with regard to authorities recently and the decision with regard to troop levels.
“And so, I think we’re doing a significant amount right now to try and help the Afghan National Security Forces secure their own country. And that recognition of the importance of that mission, and — and what we believe is important right now to support the Afghan government in their own efforts to secure their country.
http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/26545-us-will-not-allow-safe-havens-in-afghanistan-obama
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