The US military said on Wednesday it would cease operations in Afghanistan immediately if the Taliban and other militants stopped their attacks.
| Well, that sounds pretty craven... |
âWe donât have any timetable, but if the militants decide to give up tomorrow, we will stop tomorrow and if they continue we will continue,â US military spokesman Colonel Rodney Davis told reporters. âAs long they are committed to committing the acts of violence we will stay here to kill them, capture them and deny sanctuary to them: thatâs our mission,â Col Davis said.
| That's a little bit different from what the first paragraph suggested... |
He said Taliban, Al Qaeda members and former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyarâs supporters had been weakened, but still threatened peace and security. âWe are engaged in a war. There is only one major player and thatâs the coalition,â he said. The US-led coalitionâs mission was to eliminate violence and extend the authority of President Hamid Karzaiâs government in the provinces, Mr Davis said. Mr Karzai said on Wednesday he expected guerrillas to step up attacks on the eve of the second anniversary of the collapse of Taliban rule. Afghan officials concede that a wave of violence since early August suggests that remnants of the Taliban are regrouping and causing serious security problems particularly in the south. |