<

Rumsfeld Discusses Afghanistan, Budget, Base Closure
Tuesday, January 8, 2002
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

“... there are a number of pockets of Al-Qaeda terrorists and Taliban fighters that have not been tracked down as of yet, to say nothing of the fact that several of the very senior leaders are still at large," Rumsfeld said. "So, we have a job to do. We are taking reasonable steps to provide protection for our forces. They are taking great care, and yet they have a tough, dirty, difficult job to do, and they are hard at it. We all hope, and I know they hope, that we'll be able to wind up this task in the months ahead."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld addressed Afghanistan, base closures and the DoD budget Jan. 8 in a C-SPAN television call-in show.

One caller asked the secretary to define victory in the war on terrorism. He broke the question into two parts: the current conflict in Afghanistan and the greater war on terrorism.

Rumsfeld said U.S. goals in Afghanistan included deposing the Taliban, capturing or killing Taliban senior leaders, and to "capture or kill the Al Qaeda at all levels so they cannot go around the world killing more Americans or our friends and allies."

In the greater war, the U.S. goal is "to see terror networks are rooted out and the countries that harbor terrorists no longer harbor them," he said.

He said it is difficult to know how long it will take to finish the job in Afghanistan. "We're certainly working hard on it, and the men and women in the armed services that are serving there are just doing a fabulous job," he said. "We're very fortunate to have them there. It's a dangerous place. There's no question about it."
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

Dan