WEBVTT

00:04.440 --> 00:06.496
things are going to get worse before

00:06.496 --> 00:08.829
they get better . It was said last year ,

00:08.829 --> 00:10.829
it's been said again , but for good

00:10.829 --> 00:12.940
reason , says Commander General David

00:12.940 --> 00:14.996
Petraeus last year was all about the

00:14.996 --> 00:17.218
truth and about entering areas where we

00:17.218 --> 00:19.162
hadn't previously been will be the

00:19.162 --> 00:21.580
theme for this year . Well , this year

00:21.580 --> 00:24.080
is about not only solidifying the gains

00:24.080 --> 00:26.460
that we made last year , but expanding

00:27.340 --> 00:29.451
the surge will continue , but it will

00:29.451 --> 00:31.507
be much more of an afghan surge this

00:31.507 --> 00:34.800
year as Afghan security forces continue

00:34.800 --> 00:38.450
to grow and to develop , not just in

00:38.450 --> 00:41.280
quantity , but in quality as well . And

00:41.280 --> 00:44.050
as we continue to push out into areas

00:44.640 --> 00:47.490
where the Taliban still have some safe

00:47.490 --> 00:49.680
havens or might like to have safe

00:49.680 --> 00:52.950
havens as they come back for the usual

00:52.950 --> 00:54.850
spring offensive . So , you're

00:54.850 --> 00:57.020
expecting more violence this year , we

00:57.020 --> 00:59.131
think there will be indeed , that has

00:59.131 --> 01:02.350
been the trend to this point . Keeping

01:02.350 --> 01:04.517
in mind that of course , when you have

01:04.517 --> 01:06.890
110,000 more of us than we had a year

01:06.890 --> 01:10.630
ago Some 70,000 more Afghan forces

01:11.440 --> 01:15.440
and then another 35 to 40 more NATO

01:15.440 --> 01:18.130
ISAF forces , we're obviously in many ,

01:18.130 --> 01:20.570
many more places . We have taken away

01:20.570 --> 01:23.720
areas that matter to the Taliban and

01:23.720 --> 01:25.609
they have to fight back . They're

01:25.609 --> 01:27.887
losing momentum in some very key areas .

01:27.887 --> 01:30.109
They're conscious of that and they know

01:30.109 --> 01:32.109
that they need to try to get regain

01:32.109 --> 01:34.630
that momentum much of the ground gained

01:34.630 --> 01:36.574
last year was in areas surrounding

01:36.574 --> 01:38.574
Kandahar city . A direct hit on the

01:38.574 --> 01:40.880
Taliban's former Heartland Taliban

01:40.880 --> 01:43.102
conversations have been tapped and it's

01:43.102 --> 01:45.780
clear some are intent on returning . We

01:45.780 --> 01:48.600
expect the Taliban to try to come back

01:48.600 --> 01:50.767
in various locations . Again , we know

01:50.767 --> 01:52.767
that we have , as they say , in the

01:52.767 --> 01:54.878
intelligence business , insights into

01:54.878 --> 01:56.600
what the taliban leadership is

01:56.600 --> 01:59.060
discussing and they are very concerned

01:59.060 --> 02:01.270
that some very significant safe havens

02:01.270 --> 02:03.437
to them , mullah Omar's hometown , the

02:03.437 --> 02:05.548
district of Jari and punch way to the

02:05.548 --> 02:07.770
west of Kandahar , for example , are no

02:07.770 --> 02:09.937
longer under their control and they've

02:09.937 --> 02:11.937
lost the infrastructure there , the

02:11.937 --> 02:13.881
weapons and explosive caches , the

02:13.881 --> 02:16.103
support of the people and so forth . So

02:16.103 --> 02:18.214
they have to make an effort to try to

02:18.214 --> 02:20.381
take these back and that's indeed what

02:20.381 --> 02:22.548
we expect that they will do now . They

02:22.548 --> 02:24.714
have also tried to keep their fighters

02:24.714 --> 02:26.881
fighting through the winter . And this

02:26.881 --> 02:28.826
is an interesting order because of

02:28.826 --> 02:30.992
course they give it from the luxury of

02:30.992 --> 02:33.480
Quetta and other sanctuaries that they

02:33.480 --> 02:36.740
have been able to establish and they

02:36.740 --> 02:39.200
lead from the rear . They lead by cell

02:39.200 --> 02:42.020
phone or by HF radio and they have said ,

02:42.020 --> 02:44.187
get back into the fight . We know it's

02:44.187 --> 02:46.409
winter , we know it's gotten cold , but

02:46.409 --> 02:48.631
you all stay at it because we've lost a

02:48.631 --> 02:50.798
lot this year and we have to get going

02:50.798 --> 02:52.798
earlier than the traditional spring

02:52.798 --> 02:54.964
offensive . Those orders have not been

02:54.964 --> 02:56.909
obeyed in all cases . So there's a

02:56.909 --> 02:59.020
degree of friction . There's a degree

02:59.020 --> 03:01.187
of discord that we have seen among the

03:01.187 --> 03:03.750
leaders themselves and then also among

03:03.750 --> 03:05.861
those to whom they're giving orders .

03:06.140 --> 03:08.362
That has not been characteristic of the

03:08.362 --> 03:10.418
past . So you're saying that they've

03:10.418 --> 03:12.640
been badly hurt last year . Well , this

03:12.640 --> 03:14.862
sustained significant losses . But this

03:14.862 --> 03:16.584
is again , this is a resilient

03:16.584 --> 03:18.840
organization , this is a resilient

03:18.850 --> 03:22.250
insurgency and we have our eyes

03:22.640 --> 03:26.240
very wide open and we clearly recognize

03:26.240 --> 03:29.160
the challenges that lie this year .

03:29.160 --> 03:31.216
We'll see areas of the country being

03:31.216 --> 03:33.216
identified for transition decisions

03:33.216 --> 03:35.327
will be based on the stability of the

03:35.327 --> 03:37.327
area , the capability of the afghan

03:37.327 --> 03:39.327
security forces on the ground . And

03:39.327 --> 03:41.549
whether or not they're sufficient local

03:41.549 --> 03:43.716
governance . What will then be seen as

03:43.716 --> 03:45.549
a slow reduction of forces and a

03:45.549 --> 03:47.882
gradual handover to full afghan control .

03:47.882 --> 03:49.549
We have principles that guide

03:49.549 --> 03:53.480
transition and among them the principle

03:53.480 --> 03:55.591
that it should be conditions based in

03:55.591 --> 03:57.258
other words , you don't start

03:57.258 --> 03:59.369
transition until the conditions allow

03:59.369 --> 04:01.591
it needless to say and then you proceed

04:01.591 --> 04:04.350
at a pace that is permitted by the

04:04.360 --> 04:06.920
conditions on the ground as well . We

04:06.920 --> 04:08.864
talk about thinning out , not just

04:08.864 --> 04:11.087
handing off . In other words , it's not

04:11.087 --> 04:13.470
tag your afghans , we're out of here .

04:13.610 --> 04:17.490
Rather it is we reduce what we are

04:17.490 --> 04:20.060
doing as they increase what they are .

04:20.640 --> 04:23.420
Thank you . Uh huh . Among some of the

04:23.420 --> 04:25.587
afghans who support , I have been here

04:25.587 --> 04:27.364
talk of transition is likely to

04:27.364 --> 04:29.642
increase their fear of being abandoned .

04:29.642 --> 04:31.809
But in his interview with us , General

04:31.809 --> 04:34.031
Petraeus said no one is rushing for the

04:34.031 --> 04:36.142
exit . I think some of these kinds of

04:36.142 --> 04:38.253
emotions are understandable . Again ,

04:38.253 --> 04:40.364
they've seen this movie before at the

04:40.364 --> 04:42.531
end of so called charlie Wilson's were

04:42.531 --> 04:44.587
the United States of course left the

04:44.587 --> 04:46.587
region and left those who were here

04:46.587 --> 04:49.050
holding the back of all the different

04:49.050 --> 04:52.340
problems and so forth in what ensued

04:52.340 --> 04:54.562
was a very violent civil war . Then the

04:54.562 --> 04:56.896
Taliban took advantage of the situation ,

04:56.896 --> 04:59.660
imposed a brutal and repressive regime

05:00.140 --> 05:02.730
and allowed al Qaeda to use its soil

05:02.770 --> 05:06.000
too . Plan and train individuals for

05:06.000 --> 05:08.250
the conduct of attacks like the 9-11

05:08.250 --> 05:11.170
attacks . So again , I think given that

05:11.180 --> 05:14.160
history , given 30 years of war ,

05:15.450 --> 05:17.830
some of these concerns are more than

05:17.830 --> 05:20.120
understandable , but I think that

05:20.120 --> 05:22.530
people should be and I think they are

05:22.540 --> 05:25.350
reassured by what took place at Lisbon .

05:26.140 --> 05:28.420
They are all of the leaders of the

05:28.420 --> 05:30.420
troop contributing nations gathered

05:30.490 --> 05:32.730
together with the NATO secretary

05:32.730 --> 05:35.340
general of the un Secretary General ,

05:35.490 --> 05:38.500
President Karzai and others and agreed

05:38.500 --> 05:41.060
that will keep our shoulder to the

05:41.060 --> 05:43.820
wheel all the way through 2014 . And

05:43.820 --> 05:45.709
then beyond that , you've heard a

05:45.709 --> 05:48.070
number of leaders , the leader of the

05:48.070 --> 05:50.550
United States of many of the major

05:50.550 --> 05:52.550
troop contributing nations , german

05:52.550 --> 05:54.606
foreign minister was just here , the

05:54.606 --> 05:56.960
Australian prime Minister , others who

05:56.960 --> 05:59.610
have pledged and have recognized that

05:59.610 --> 06:01.940
there is a need for continued support

06:01.940 --> 06:05.790
for Afghanistan beyond 2014 , albeit in

06:05.790 --> 06:07.846
a very different character , not the

06:07.846 --> 06:09.950
kind of substantial military forces

06:09.950 --> 06:12.200
that are being provided now , but

06:12.200 --> 06:14.311
certainly still continued development

06:14.311 --> 06:17.630
assistance aid and so on . General

06:17.630 --> 06:19.852
Petraeus . I heard that you haven't had

06:19.852 --> 06:22.110
a day off barely since you started your

06:22.110 --> 06:24.280
Commander of Isaf . How do you keep

06:24.290 --> 06:26.270
going ? Well , first of all , you

06:26.270 --> 06:28.520
remember how important this is uh

06:28.530 --> 06:30.700
second you go out and see see our

06:30.700 --> 06:32.922
troopers and of course they always give

06:32.922 --> 06:35.256
us far more energy than we give to them .

06:35.540 --> 06:37.540
It's not hard to get out of the bed

06:37.540 --> 06:39.540
each day and remember how important

06:39.560 --> 06:41.960
your responsibilities are to get after

06:41.960 --> 06:44.016
it . Beyond that though , I actually

06:44.016 --> 06:46.490
did have the first leave that my family

06:46.490 --> 06:48.860
and I have had in four years . We

06:48.860 --> 06:51.082
recently had a week at Garmisch Germany

06:51.540 --> 06:54.830
and enjoyed the snow and the ski slopes

06:54.830 --> 06:56.950
and so forth . And again , it was

06:56.950 --> 06:59.320
wonderful to be able to do that .

06:59.330 --> 07:01.497
Having not been able to do it actually

07:01.497 --> 07:03.910
for four years really , since I took

07:03.910 --> 07:06.070
command of the surge in Iraq , we've

07:06.070 --> 07:08.014
had a lot of good intentions about

07:08.014 --> 07:10.120
taking leave . Some of those were

07:10.120 --> 07:12.340
obviously derailed by the unexpected

07:12.350 --> 07:14.461
orders to come out here last summer .

07:14.940 --> 07:16.996
You must have a very tolerant wife .

07:17.340 --> 07:20.590
She's a wonderful woman . Thank you for

07:20.590 --> 07:22.560
joining us . Great to have you with us