" ....... Jones offered a mild rebuke Sunday of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, for making a public call for more forces during a speech last week in London. It is "better for military advice to come up through the chain of command," said Jones. But he also said that McChrystal "is in it for the long haul," beating back suggestions that the general's public remarks could jeopardize his job. "I don't think this is an issue," said Jones
Jones comments came amid growing government fissures over whether to send thousands of additional troops to the fight, and just hours after militant forces overwhelmed U.S. troops at two outposts near the Pakistan border, killing eight Americans.
Jones said that Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling to the Taliban, and he downplayed fears that the insurgency could set up a renewed sanctuary for al-Qaida. McChrystal has said that insurgents are gaining ground and the U.S. is in danger of failing unless more forces are sent to the fight.
"I don't foresee the return of the Taliban. Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling," Jones said. "The al-Qaida presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies."..."
No comments:
Post a Comment