HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
" In a lengthy news conference, wearing a U.S.
flag lapel
pin, Khalilzad offered hints into how he - and his boss in
Washington - will approach the
Afghanistan issue on the
ground in Kabul."
.
Associated Press must really be scraping the bottom
of the barrel
to print trash like this. Even "CIA-CNN" could do better. This doesn't
even make good war propaganda
mart
----- Original Message -----
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UKFrom: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 7:20
AM
Subject: Zalmay 'Herod' Khalilzad: War is an
imperfect business [
---------------------------
http://www.citizen.com/news2002/Jan/09/ap0109k.htm
Wednesday, January 9, 2002
U.S. envoy to Afghanistan: bombing must continue to
prevent 'bin Laden Jr.'
By TED ANTHONY
Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan - Bombardment in Afghanistan must
eliminate all remaining Taliban and al-Qaida
strongholds so extremists cannot regroup and
ultimately produce a "bin Laden Jr.," the American
special envoy to Afghanistan said Tuesday.
Zalmay Khalilzad, in his fourth day on the job as
President Bush's eyes and ears in Afghanistan, also
said coalition attacks that kill civilians are
unfortunate but that blame must be placed on those who
started the conflict.
"War," he said, "is an imperfect business."
In a lengthy news conference, wearing a U.S. flag
lapel pin, Khalilzad offered hints into how he - and
his boss in Washington - will approach the Afghanistan
issue on the ground in Kabul. The message: strong, but
sensitive.
"I have no doubt whatsoever that continuing to achieve
these goals is the best way to proceed," Khalilzad
said.
He acknowledged U.S. mistakes in Afghanistan in the
past, saying the Americans should have helped the
country rebuild after assisting it against the Soviet
Union.
"More should have been done" by both the Clinton and
first Bush administrations once Soviet-backed rule
ended and violent factional fighting began in 1992, he
said.
This time, Khalilzad said, the United States is in for
the duration to help the Afghan people launch an era
of stability and "preclude a return to chaos and bin
Laden Jr. somewhere down the road."
Khalilzad's contention that Taliban and al-Qaida
elements are trying to regroup, particularly in
eastern and southern Afghanistan, to vex the interim
government ran counter to statements by British Prime
Minister Tony Blair. In Pakistan on Monday, Blair said
the coalition had "effectively shut down the al-Qaida
terrorist network in Afghanistan."
The U.S. envoy's message reflected Bush's pledge since
hours after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States
that Washington "would not rest" until all responsible
were brought to justice.
Some Afghan tribal leaders have said the U.S. bombing
has lasted long enough and must stop before more
civilians die. But Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John
Stufflebeem said the United States this week was
bombarding mountainous eastern Afghanistan because
"we're finding stuff, and we're attacking that stuff."
Khalilzad emphasized that the United States was
sensitive to concerns about how the bombardment was
affecting the population.
"We do not target civilians. But civilians sometimes
unfortunately do get affected, even killed, in
conflicts," he said. "We are extremely sorry and we
regret deeply any civilian loss of life."
In case of reports of errant bombings, he said, "We
will investigate. We are investigating. And if we have
made mistakes, we will announce the error."
Khalilzad, an ethnic Pashtun born in the northern city
of Mazar-e-Sharif, was appointed by Bush on Dec. 31.
He will report to Bush through Secretary of State
Colin Powell and will retain his job with the National
Security Council.
He arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday.
The U.N. envoy to Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, said
Monday that he had spoken to Khalilzad about civilian
casualties. "It is a concern of his as much as it is
of mine," Brahimi said. "We have no disagreement on
this."
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