Monday
Jan252010
Afghan People Are More Optimistic, Claims Senator Levin
Monday, January 25, 2010 at 4:57PM
By Sofia Sanchez-Talk Radio News Service/University of New Mexico
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, followed up a recent trip to Afghanistan by reporting that there is an upswing of confidence among the Afghan people.
“The Afghan people are more optimistic about their future, our visits and polling confirm this. 70% feel they are headed in the right direction, 60% think their kids will have a better life than they do and the Taliban remains extremely unpopular,” said Levin during a press conference Monday.
Levin focused on what he believes to be the number one mission in Afghanistan, which is to train and equip the Afghan army.
“It is absolutely essential that they understand that our presence there ... is not open ended," said Levin. “Our primary goal is to help the Afghan security forces to get to the point where they are able to take the predominant role in defending and protecting the Afghan people.”
New numbers supplied by General David Rodriguez on the ground shows that the amount of Afghans undergoing training has gone from 3,000 recruits in November ’09 to 11,000 in January ’10.
“The bottom line is: I think we are on the right track. We have a long way to go in Afghanistan, but there are some signs of progress," said Levin.
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, followed up a recent trip to Afghanistan by reporting that there is an upswing of confidence among the Afghan people.
“The Afghan people are more optimistic about their future, our visits and polling confirm this. 70% feel they are headed in the right direction, 60% think their kids will have a better life than they do and the Taliban remains extremely unpopular,” said Levin during a press conference Monday.
Levin focused on what he believes to be the number one mission in Afghanistan, which is to train and equip the Afghan army.
“It is absolutely essential that they understand that our presence there ... is not open ended," said Levin. “Our primary goal is to help the Afghan security forces to get to the point where they are able to take the predominant role in defending and protecting the Afghan people.”
New numbers supplied by General David Rodriguez on the ground shows that the amount of Afghans undergoing training has gone from 3,000 recruits in November ’09 to 11,000 in January ’10.
“The bottom line is: I think we are on the right track. We have a long way to go in Afghanistan, but there are some signs of progress," said Levin.
Reader Comments