E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSPAKTIKA, Afghanistan - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, standing less than 34 miles from the Pakistan border, told U.S. troops Wednesday they have reached a turning point in the war, even as he demanded that Islamabad must do more to secure its side of the border.
Visiting with forces in Paktika, Panetta asserted that, "I really think that for all the sacrifices that you're doing, the reality is that it is paying off and that we're moving in the right direction ... We're winning this very tough conflict here in Afghanistan."
However, his upbeat assessment of the war came against a backdrop of the eroding relations with Pakistan, which imposed a communications blackout on the U.S.-led coalition after NATO airstrikes killed two dozen Pakistani forces last month. And there has been an ongoing spate of high-profile attacks in Kabul and across the south, including one Wednesday that killed a local government official and two bodyguards in Helmand province.
While U.S. officials have suggested that there may be some move to thaw the frigid tensions, Panetta made it clear that the U.S. still wants Pakistan to go after the insurgents who are launching attacks against U.S. forces from sanctuaries on that side of the border.
"Ultimately, we've got to make sure that if we're going to secure this country (Afghanistan), the Pakistanis better damn well secure their country as well," Panetta told the troops.
Panetta's visit to Paktika comes as the country's rugged east, where insurgents cross back and forth from lawless areas of western Pakistan, takes on increasing importance following the weakening of the Taliban in its southern heartland over the past 18 months.
"Are there challenges out there? You're damn right there are challenges," Panetta said. "Are we able to take on those challenges? You're damn right we are."
More work to do
The Pentagon chief has been meeting with his commanders in Afghanistan for two days, and also took time out to address a gathering of the diplomatic corps at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. There, he seemed to back away a bit from his contention that the war was being won.
Panetta stressed that there was more work to do, saying it was "not to say that this mission is by any means accomplished — it's not."
U.S. military leaders, meanwhile, echoed Panetta's view that they have seen progress both in the south — the heartland of the Taliban insurgency — as well as in the east. They acknowledge, though, that there will be tough fighting in the east next year as the U.S. works to reverse gains made by militants who find sanctuary on the Pakistan side of the border.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who directs day-to-day military operations in Afghanistan, told reporters that he believes the Taliban have been handed a tactical defeat in the south, where troops now need to consolidate the gains. But he agreed that next year, as another 23,000 U.S. troops are pulled out of Afghanistan, the coalition and Afghan forces will have to make major gains in the east.
Scaparrotti and commanders in the east agreed that improved coordination with Pakistan is critical, and without improvement it will make the campaign in the region much more difficult next year.
On Tuesday, Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said that U.S. troops will begin to move into the advisory role next year, stepping back from their current counterinsurgency mission with Afghan forces. Over time, U.S. and NATO forces would provide training and guidance, air support, and other assistance as the Afghan troops take the lead.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Read more content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Fifth victim found as police profile Belgium killer
- Post-US Iraq: Welcome to Shia-stan
- Rebellious Chinese village under siege by police
- Iraqis unable to defend their borders as US exits
- Hunt for terrorists shifts to 'dangerous' North Africa, Panetta says
- US halts $700 million in Pakistan aid, demands action on Taliban
Leave a Comment:
If Panetta thinks we're winning the war in Afganistan, he is completely out of touch with reality or just a bald faced liar.
Is it Panetta or Charlie Sheen who's out of touch?
What is Panetta smoking over there? The Pakistanis kicked us out of their country. Their generals are royally pissed off at us because we cut off military aid. They are not going to go after anybody. They are in collusion and working with Al-Quaida and will stab us in the back the next chance they get! The Afghans in the border regions with Pakistan are not much better, but they're caught in the middle and want us gone too. How does he figure we are winning? I'll bet Panetta favorite book is the "Emperor's New Clothes" because the man has got have blinders on a mile wide!
Cat mutilation,
Did your sorry mutilated ass finished High School?
"He is hispanic... What else would you expect? Surprising how he finished High School."
"Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. An Italian-American Democrat politician, lawyer, and professor, Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997, Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1993-1994 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993. He is the founder of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, served as Distinguished Scholar to Chancellor Charles B. Reed of the California State University System and professor of public policy at Santa Clara University."
Cat, take your racist trash somewhere else! Why don't you regale us with your educational accomplishments besides probably not finishing junior high! What a dweeb! I happen to be Hispanic and have an undergraduate degree in world history. You don't want to hear what else I think of your racist comments besides go crawl back into the hole you crawled out of.
Just what I expected Cat. No answer? Typical.
Just recall visits to Iraq by the US politicians and top of military.
Up to the last they were singing these types of songs. Panetta's songs do not vary much.
Unless Paki Islamic militant places are erased, winning in Afghanistan and reducing NATO forces casulties are difficult.
Does it take 10 years to understand that Pakis have been backstabbing big time in Afghanistan and half of NATO forces deaths are due to Pakis?
Sorry, I forgot Pakistan is an ally on "war on terror."
We are winning?
Didn't Karzai just say if we attacked Pakistan, Afghanistan would support Pakistan?
That's quite the ally we are making there.
What a load of crap. I really hate reading things like this where some administration official is over there just blowing smoke up everyone's ass before he quickly gets back to his flight home in a few hours.
Sorry Mr. Panetta, I don't think even one American life or injured soldier was worth whatever he thinks we're 'winning' over in Afghanistan.
Maybe he means we are winning the war by spending ourselves broke.
Does anyone not remember the Soviets making this exact same mistake?
Bin Laden is dead. Mission accomplished. Time to move on.
Just WTF are we winning?
We are not winning in Afghanistan---
Why else would the US be in the longest War ever recorded?
Madness prevails---more brainwashing, but guess what? The American People are smarter than the Cabinet of the present Administration. "O" did amp up the War, after Bush---. Why?
We are the ones who have our "boots on the ground" re; being lied to.
Thanks to all US Military who have survived and served this ugly War for all Americans..
Longest war ever recorded?!? Maybe the longest US war, but not the longest war ever recorded. How about the wars between religious factions in the middle east that have gone on for millenniums. Longest war ever recorded. You gotta be careful with blanket statements like that. It takes time to turn these nations around, in this culture of instant gratification we expect results NOW. Give me what I want or forget about it. We didn't 'fix' Afghanistan in a week, pfft, its never gonna be worth it then.
John Doe-2241225 hey big mouth, can you point us to such long wars going on for millenniums in the Middle East? By the way, Afghanistan is not part of the Middle East, it is located in Central Asia.
Their hearts and minds just like we did in Vietnam. How did that one turn out gang?
There was a little thing called "The Hundred Years' War", which even though was actually a series of wars, they ranged from 14 to over 20 years each just to point out wars longer than those we're involved in now.
The british and french fought a "hundreds" year war and so did Europe and Islamic world in the middle ages during crusades. Of course it wasn't 100+ years straight it happened in batches. We are now in a modern day crusade and the Islamic world is trying to revive Palestine and would like to see the artificial state of what some call "Israel" annihilated. Jews have the right to live in peace but so do the Palestinians. The zionist regime is compalacent and since she has a bigger military machine will continue to use it. But the "Israel" country is going to be brought to its news in many of our life times. Palestinians and Muslim countries deserve to live in peace. God bless the U.S.A. because we have set an example for people - freedom of speech, right to protest corrupt governments, right to have a say in policies, equal opportunity, and and embracing ALL faiths. U.S. is a modal for the Islamic world also and we can all work together instead of against each other.
hawk: Nice theory.
In no Muslim nation clouded by the teachings of Islamic cult, Muslims leave their killings based on the classifications of believers and non-believers and jihad on infidels.
So if they don't get non-Muslims to loot, rape and kill, they kill each other by having new classifications of infidels like in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and most of Muslim nations.
Even five percent of Muslims in a non-Muslim nation are a curse on the non-Muslim nation.
In the US itself, after the Muslim percentage increased slightly, even air travel has become a torture. Imagine how it will be more Muslims.
So don't ever imagine that some Muslim nation will be like a non-Muslim nation like the US, Britain, European nation and others.
This is Islamic track record.
Wow Jonathon - you really hate muslims
Do you hate Buddhists and Jews too? Or just muslims?
Jungleboogie: There are huge numbers non-Muslims like I who hate Muslims (especially Sunni Muslims) for being curses on earth wherever they live.
In Pakistan, these Pakis have been killing infidels (all non-Muslims and these days other Muslim sects like Ahmedias, Sufis, Shiites and minority tribes) since 47 and in the US, they plan suicide bombings!
I don't hate other religious groups and I just hate the Sunni Muslim haters, looters, kidnappers, black mailers, traitors and liabilities.
In the battle between the Shiites and Sunnis, I support the underdogs Shiites. There are in the same boat as many non-Muslims.
The Sunni barbarians and Islamic bigots in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are epicenters of breeding and exporting Sunni radicalism and terrorism.
These seventh century desert mindset Nazi Sunni religious beasts are the culprits for the world problems.
Osama was sheltered in Pakistan and 9/11 WT bombers had Saudi and Paki connections with UAE also coming in the picture in financial transactions.
Panetta is an impotent cheer leader. The U.S. hasn't won anything militarily since WWII. The U.S. government has involved its people in a war that will never end. It's a war between American greed and lust for control, and an ideology stronger than old communism that Americans can't begin to understand...and in which its elite are enriching themselves.
i have to agree with most of the above threads, what is this guy smoking? this is an endless war that will look good one day and bad the next. its just like vietnam. panetta, stop putting out your spook nonsense and get out now and quit lying to the american people. and no i have no interest in listening to a generals apprisal of the war. i listened to westmoreland and i am a disabled vietnam veteran as a result. don't allow one more american military person to be injured or die over their.
More and more of the same! Panetta who is obviously suffering from Dementia is trying to buck up our troops and keep them fighting longer....we are not, and cannot win any kind of war in this worthless wasted muslim pit. Our 'ally' Pakistan is no more than a bunch of corrupt, thieving liars who openly help the Afghans and the muslim terrorists. Get everyone out now! Let these low life scum keep on killing each other, just have then have done for centuries!
YES!!!!!!
Panetta another one of Obozo's morons and liberal leftists.
ren-755775
You definitely encompass the illiterate conservative issue eroding our country through applied ignorance.
???
Panetta entirely agrees with the Bush & Neo-con foreign policy.
Obama & Bush have almost the exact same foreign policy.
Are you a Ron Paul supporter?
Jungleboogie: You have questions for all others. Why not you tell us about youself?
Time to go, give Karzai a bullet proof vest and say thanks for the memories.
Pakistan goes on our terrorist, non=favored nation list and lets suspend all imports of cheap ass clothing, give the business to India and see you later bye!
..and just what is it that we are "winning"??
No country has ever defeated Afghanistan. Of course the U.S. officials will ALWAYS say we're winning or find some way to spin it. The Taliban / Mujahadeens control most of Afghanistan. Even Petreaus said that if we can control 40% we are on the right track. The U.S. officials are downgrading their measure of "success". Petreaus said success is an Afghanistan "good enough", General Mcrystal was brighter and having been invovled in this fiasco for long enough said that this isn't "going to smell like a win or look like a win". Afghans are masters of insurgencies and the toughest fighters on the planet. Not me saying it, it is the Russian and British scholars. U.S. will not say it yet because it will make them look week.
Hey Panetta , mission accomplished right ?
This is Obama's mess that has KILLED over 1,000+US Troops on just his watch...
Remember that Bush & the UK turned over operations in Afghanistan to the UN and 54 other countries during Dec 2001...
It was Obama that doubled the US Troop levels and then doubled them again, while placing his commanders in charge. This was while the Panetta CIA was telling the world that there were less than 100+Al Qaida in Afghanistan...
Then using intel obtained during the Bush/CIA interrogations, which Obama had outlawed. The CIA finally tracked down ben Laden and then killed him...
Obama has accomplished NOTHING...
AC, any president has very little to do with success or failure in any war. The generals and secretary of defense run most of the war machine.
Blaming Bush or Obama for how the wars are being run is pointless.
I'm not a Bush fan but I will give him credit for dumping Rumsfeld, should have been done MUCH earlier.
I don't see Obama's foreign policy to be any different than Bush's in the least.
Ultimately, we've got to make sure that if we're going to secure this country (Afghanistan), the Pakistanis better damn well secure their country as well," Panetta told the troops.
Unless Paki militant and nuke areas are erased to the ground, NATO forces can't win in Afghanistan.
Treat failed terrorist breeding and exporting nation as an enemy.
Kick out also all Paki traitors from the US, Britain, European nations without mercy. They are a curse on the society and nation they live.
We? You sound like you can barely speak English?
What country you from, bud?
Jungleboogie: Certainly I can't speak your English. You see: education levels vary! Some imagine that they have super duper brains!
As my books were published for IT under graduates and above by a famous US publisher, some may not understand my English!
By the by, what is that "bud" business?
Leon Panetta must be confusing Afghanistan with Uzbecky becky stan.
No sir. Leon Panetta can't distinguish between Porkistan and Afghanistan.
we migth have been gaining the upper hand, that was probably the reason pakistan got too touchy and is turning against us,the border incident might have been engineered for that reason so they could put a stop to our drones which were doing a job on their terrorist boys.
on the other hand securing the afghanistan/pakistan border won't be childs play ,pentagon chiefs often make things sound easier than they really are. what i however and millions of other americans would like to ask leon panetta is why secure a border 10 thousand miles away and not our own southern one right here at home?
This idle boasting and chest beating by Panetta is pure poppycock. It does not matter what gains have been made, as a matter of fact these military gains are only as good as the imperialists commitment to stay on in Afghanistan for EVER. What good is military gains when your troops are withdrawing??? It is a complete waste of human life and resources.
What Panetta the mouth peace for imperialism and fascism has not said is that the Afghan people despise the United States and their puppet government in Kabul, so in reality the United States and their evil minions like GB have lost this war, unless they plan to stay in large numbers to continue to occupy the country.
Why would the insurgents spend resouces and human life in a massive offensive against the the enemy when they are leaving like the paper tigers they are. It is far more intelligent to keep enough pressure on the invaders and the puppet government to ensure they leave and prepare for the real battle in the post war Afghanistan.
In conclusion in my opinion the United States has won nothing, gained nothing, the only accomplishment is to create more enemies and victims of imperialism, which will come back to haunt the American people in a big way.