Global General

Petraeus says capturing bin Laden still priority

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-08-16 09:35

US General David Petraeus gives his speech during a change-of-command ceremony at the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul July 4, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - Capturing or killing al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden is still a priority for the United States, David Petraeus, the general who commands all US forces in Afghanistan, was quoted as saying Sunday.

Talking to NBC's "Meet the Press," Petraeus said bin Laden "remains an iconic figure and I think capturing or killing is still a very, very important task for all of those who are engaged in counter-terrorism around the world."

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Petraeus said bin Laden is probably in extremely remote mountainous area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and it took him several weeks to send out "a congratulatory message out or a message of condolence".

The US commander in Afghanistan said he sees "areas of progress" in the war but it was still unclear if President Barack Obama's goal of starting to pull out troops in July 2011 could be met

"What we have are areas of progress. We've got to link those together, extend them," Petraeus said.

He said he would give his "best professional military advice" to Obama about the July 2011 target for starting withdrawals and leave the politics of the war to the president, who will be up for re-election in 2012.

"I think the president has been quite clear in explaining that it's a process, not an event, and that it's conditions based," Petraeus, who replaced General Stanley McChrystal as Afghan commander less than two months ago, said of the target date for starting withdrawals.

"It would be premature to have any kind of assessment at this juncture about what we may or may not be able to transition," Petraeus said.

Obama, who announced in December he was adding 30,000 more US troops in Afghanistan, plans a strategy review in December after the elections. While Congress supported his plan to bolster troop levels, polls show the public remains dubious about the effort.

A poll released last week by NBC and the Wall Street Journal found that seven in 10 Americans did not believe the war would end successfully.

In the same interview, Petraeus also said the timetable of US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan will be driven by situation on the ground.

"Certainly, I am aware of the context within which I offer that advice," Petraeus said, "But that just informs the advice; it doesn't drive it. The situation on the ground drives it."

Obama has set July 2011 as a deadline to begin withdrawing troops. Petraeus said the challenge now is to demonstrate signs of progress.

Petraeus, who previously served as head of the US Central Command, assumed command of US Forces Afghanistan and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan last month.