U.S Afghan Commander accepts 'Sri Lankan style' against terrorism
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S military Commander in
Afganistan was of the view that it be a prerequisite to eliminate
"iconic figures" among terrorists and therefore such to be removed
physically.
The Daily-Telegraph, in its Wednesday (9) edition,
quoted the military Commander as saying during a key note delivered at
the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday (Dec 08). Referring to
the West's common enemy, Osama bin Laden, Gen. McChrystal said, "I
believe he is an iconic figure at this point whose survival emboldens
al-Qaida as a franchise organization across the world."
"I don't think we can defeat him until he is captured
or killed," he was quoted as further saying. The U.S General was
incidentally underscoring President Rajapaksa led 'Sri Lankan style' -
"fight-to-finish" war against the Tigers. Ironically, while the Sri
Lankan military was closing-in on Prabakaran-the megalomaniac terror
chief- the US and its allies demanded that the war be suspended.
Until his humiliating death, Prabakaran was also
generalized as an 'iconic figure' in modern day terrorism. "Had their
demand been met and Prabhakaran and his trusted 'lieutenants' given a
new lease of life, the war would not have ended last May and we would
have found ourselves in the same predicament as the hapless Afghans" a
defence official said commending the undeterred political and military
leadership of President and C-in-C Mahinda Rajapaksa.
"At the helm you need to have a competent
Grand-Strategist, whose uncomplicated objective (total elimination of
LTTE), be influential enough to make the operational commanders
carry-out their predefined tasks", the official further said.
Meanwhile, hailing President Obama's deployment of
30,000 extra troops in Afghanistan a move to success, Gen. McChrystal
said, that an estimated number of 24,000-27,000 full-time Taliaban
fighters were operating in Afghanistan.
Recently, news sources citing a US Senate Foreign
Relations Committee report to be released next week, stated that, the
report has considered Sri Lanka as a 'too important country to be left
isolated from the West'.
Also on Tuesday(8), during his fact finding mission to
Sri Lanka, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia
and former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake expressed
satisfaction with the government's resettlement programme now underway.
He was also of praise on the new freedom of movement allowed to rescued
civilian hostages and said that he was pleased with the mine risk
education being given to students.
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