Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Panetta: US at turning point in Afghanistan war

Panetta: US at turning point in Afghanistan war

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) â€" U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pronounced Wednesday a U.S. will continue to control intelligence operations from Afghanistan like a new goal that led to a detriment of a worker over Iran, and he gave an upbeat comment of a unpopular war.

Standing with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Panetta supposing a mysterious response to questions about a mislaid drone, that has unprotected sum of a little-known U.S. comprehension and notice efforts directed during Iran.

But a Pentagon arch and former CIA conduct left small doubt that a U.S. finds Afghanistan a useful place from that to perspective on a neighbor, and intends to keep during it. The operations advantage both a U.S. and Afghanistan, Panetta said.

"These are operations that we will not plead publicly, other than to contend that partial and parcel of a bid to urge this country, and to urge a nation involves vicious comprehension operations that we will continue to pursue," he said.

The RQ-170 drone, famous as a Sentinel, was mislaid over Iran dual weeks ago. The Pentagon primarily pronounced usually that it malfunctioned after being launched in western Afghanistan. But it after emerged that a worker had taken off from a bottom in Afghanistan and was drifting a notice goal over Iran when it came down.

Iranian state radio promote video of Iranians inspecting a aircraft, that was mostly intact.

"Part and parcel to a bid to not usually strengthen Afghanistan, yet to strengthen a United States is to obtain vicious comprehension that allows us to be means to strengthen a people and to strengthen ours," Panetta pronounced during a news discussion with Karzai.

Although a U.S. is Afghanistan's categorical patron, U.S. use of Afghan dirt to perspective on a rivalry Iran puts Karzai in a formidable position.

Afghanistan has prolonged informative and linguistic ties to Iran and maintains a mostly accessible attribute with a Tehran government.

"Afghanistan was not wakeful that a worker had malfunctioned in Iran," Karzai said.

He combined that Iran has asked Afghanistan for some-more information.

"Afghanistan has affianced to a neighbors a best of relationships," Karzai added, and doesn't wish to be concerned in any "adversarial relations" between a U.S. and Iran.

Visiting with army progressing Wednesday in Paktika province, Panetta asserted that U.S.-dominated army are winning a quarrel opposite a Taliban-led insurgency.

"I unequivocally consider that for all a sacrifices that you're doing, a existence is that it is profitable off and that we're relocating in a right direction," Panetta said. "We're winning this really tough dispute here in Afghanistan."

Panetta was reduction than 34 miles from a Pakistan limit when he told U.S. infantry they have reached a branch indicate in a war. He also demanded that Islamabad contingency do some-more to secure a side of a border.

His upbeat comment of a war, however, came opposite a backdrop of a eroding family with Pakistan.

Pakistan imposed a communications trance on a U.S.-led bloc after NATO airstrikes killed dual dozen Pakistani army final month. There has been a array of high-profile attacks in Kabul and opposite a south, including one Wednesday that killed a internal supervision central and dual bodyguards in Helmand province.

While U.S. officials have suggested there might be some pierce to unfreeze a wintry tensions, Panetta done it transparent that a U.S. still wants Pakistan to go after a insurgents who are rising attacks opposite U.S. army from sanctuaries on that side of a border.

"Ultimately, we've got to make certain that if we're going to secure this nation (Afghanistan), a Pakistanis softened damn good secure their nation as well," Panetta told a troops.

The Pentagon arch has been assembly with his commanders in Afghanistan for dual days, and also took time out to residence a entertainment of a tactful corps during a U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

At a embassy, he seemed to behind pided rather from his row that a quarrel was being won. He told a throng that as nonetheless a goal was not accomplished, yet "we're streamer in a right direction."

U.S. infantry leaders echoed Panetta's perspective that they have seen swell both in a south, a heartland of a Taliban insurgency, as good as in a east.

They acknowledge, though, that there will be tough fighting in a easterly subsequent year as a U.S. works to retreat gains done by militants who find refuge on a Pakistan side of a border.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who leads day-to-day infantry operations in Afghanistan, told reporters that he believes a Taliban have been handed a tactical better in a south, where infantry now need to connect a gains.

But he concluded that subsequent year, as an additional 23,000 U.S. infantry are pulled out of Afghanistan, a bloc and Afghan army will have to make vital gains in a east.

Scaparrotti and commanders in eastern Afghanistan concluded that softened coordination with Pakistan is critical, and but alleviation it will make a debate in a segment most some-more formidable subsequent year.


News referensi http://news.yahoo.com/panetta-us-turning-point-afghanistan-war-180234680.html

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