19 April 2002
Transcript: Allies Prepared to Help Afghans Defeat al Qaeda Remnants
(Boucher says training army and police will enhance security) (660)
Asked by reporters about U.S. reaction to reported Taliban operatives
active in Afghanistan, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher
April 19 underscored the continuing presence of U.S. forces and
International Security Assistance forces in Afghanistan.
According to Boucher, more than 17 counties were helping the Afghans
rid the country of the final remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Neighboring counties in the region were also cooperating to maintain
stability in Afghanistan.
"I would point out once again that the cooperation with Pakistan in
particular in this regard has been excellent," he said.
Boucher said U.S. efforts to help Afghanistan develop effective
national defense and police forces would enhance Afghanistan's
long-term stability.
Following is an excerpt from the transcript of Boucher's April 19
briefing containing his comments about Afghanistan:
(begin transcript)
QUESTION: The people of Afghanistan are asking that the United States,
when they started the war against terrorism, they promised to them
that there will be a terrorism/terrorist-free Afghanistan. The Taliban
government may have gone, but the terrorists, Taliban or al-Qaida, are
still in Afghanistan. The King is now there. Yesterday, he returned
from Italy. So how the new government, when they have a new
administration in June, or after June, how can they operate when
Afghanistan is still full of terrorism?
MR. BOUCHER: First of all, US troops have not left Afghanistan. US and
other governments, other countries have forces there. The British, as
you know, are undertaking operations against al-Qaida remnants. The
United States has done so. The Canadians are out there working with
all of us. So there is a considerable international presence. At one
point, including the International Security Assistance Forces, we
counted something like 17 countries that had forces in Afghanistan
trying to help not only get rid of the final remnants of this
organization of al-Qaida and the Taliban, but also through the
International Security Assistance process to maintain forces there to
provide a certain sense of stability.
In addition, the chief way that we have been working with this
government and will work a new government created under the Loya Jirga
is to help train a national army and national police force, because
ultimately that is the way to maintain stability in Afghanistan;
that's the process that is already under way that we are working and
training a national army. The Germans have an extensive support
network there to train a national police. We are all working together
with other members of the donor community to fund that and to move
forward on those two tracks. That is the principal way that we have
worked with the government in Afghanistan to maintain security over
the longer term.
QUESTION: I have been talking with a lot of Afghanis in this area, a
lot of them, and what they are saying is that whatever the US is
doing, but they are very much grateful to the United States and the
international community that they have helped them to get this Taliban
government out of Afghanistan. But the borders are so open that they
have come across the border today, and then tomorrow they will leave
and still they will come back. So they keep coming and going from
across the border. So how can you start that until you stop --
MR. BOUCHER: We work as well with countries in the region, with
countries that border on Afghanistan and other countries in the region
to try to ensure that we are all doing our part to maintain security
and that we get rid of these Taliban elements, these al-Qaida elements
who might try to regroup, or might try to regroup either on the Afghan
side or other sides of the border. I would point out once again that
the cooperation with Pakistan in particular in this regard has been
excellent.
(end excerpt)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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