Bush's Fantasy World
BUSH’S FANTASY WORLD:
“That's why I said to the Taliban in Afghanistan: Get rid of al Qaeda; see, you're harboring al Qaeda. Remember this is a place where they trained -- al Qaeda trained thousands of people in Afghanistan. And the Taliban, I guess, just didn't believe me. And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence.” [Bush, 9/27/04]
Taliban is Resurgent: “Nearly two years after their defeat… the Taliban has re-emerged as a growing security threat…” [United States Institute for Peace, 3/04]
House Republicans Confirm Taliban Remains Threat to Security: “The greatest threat in the country remains Al Qaida, Taliban and other indigenous military groups. These groups operate mostly on the Pakistan border and in the south. U.S., coalition and Afghan combat forces are positioned and employed to defeat these threats.” [Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), Remarks to House Committee on International Relations, 9/23/04]
REP. ROHRABACHER (R-CA) “A couple of serious questions here. First, before I get into the more contentious one, let me ask Mr. Rodman about perhaps -- the general stated that there are still operations going on against the Taliban and described them as the biggest threat still remaining, the remnants of the Taliban. Would you agree with that?”
PETER RODMAN (Assistant Secretary of Defense, Int’l Security Affairs): “As General Sharp said, that's the main mission of most of our troops, these operations in the Afghan-Pakistan border area.”
ROHRABACHER: “Right and so the Taliban are still a force to be reckoned with.”
RODMAN: “Al Qaeda and Taliban and some extremist allies of theirs.”
And up to 90% of Country is Under Taliban Control: “A picture of Afghanistan's been painted I think overly optimistic. You read the newspapers, what you're talking about doesn't even exist from the reports that I read about what's really going on. And when you hear about Doctors Without Borders leaving after having been there through the Russian occupation, the U.N. wants to leave. Protection of the president is very precarious; we don't know what'll come of that. The airport's getting bombed. There's estimates that 90 percent of the country -- at least a very large percent of the country, is under the occupation of the Taliban and the warlords.” [Rep. Paul (R-TX)., Remarks to House Committee on International Relations, 9/23/04]
British Sending More Troops to Fight the Taliban: “The British Army is to deploy up to 5,000 extra troops to Afghanistan to defeat a rising Taliban insurgency and to hunt for Al-Qaeda terrorists and their leader, Osama Bin Laden.” [Sunday Times, 9/26/04]
Taliban Violence Threatens Elections: The pre-election period has been marred by repeated attacks against voter registration workers and facilities, mostly carried out by Taliban forces. The Taliban has vowed to sabotage the election -- the first national poll in Afghanistan in three decades of war and turmoil, and the country's first-ever presidential election. [Washington Post, 9/17/04]
Taliban Has Re-Established Training Camps in Pakistan: “In fact, bin Laden's fighters are regrouping in Pakistan. And Pakistani officials confirm that Al Qaeda and the Taliban were actually able to set up new training camps inside Pakistan this year.” [Brian Ross, ABC Good Morning America, 9/11/04]
Killings Increasing in Taliban-Controlled Areas: “More than 1,000 people, including militants, election officials, soldiers and aid workers, have died in violence over the past year, with many attacks occurring in Afghanistan's south and east where the Taliban are strongest.” [MSNBC, 8/31/04]
Violence Against Americans in Afghanistan is Increasing: More than twice as many Americans have been killed in combat already in 2004 than in all of 2003.
“That's why I said to the Taliban in Afghanistan: Get rid of al Qaeda; see, you're harboring al Qaeda. Remember this is a place where they trained -- al Qaeda trained thousands of people in Afghanistan. And the Taliban, I guess, just didn't believe me. And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence.” [Bush, 9/27/04]
Taliban is Resurgent: “Nearly two years after their defeat… the Taliban has re-emerged as a growing security threat…” [United States Institute for Peace, 3/04]
House Republicans Confirm Taliban Remains Threat to Security: “The greatest threat in the country remains Al Qaida, Taliban and other indigenous military groups. These groups operate mostly on the Pakistan border and in the south. U.S., coalition and Afghan combat forces are positioned and employed to defeat these threats.” [Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), Remarks to House Committee on International Relations, 9/23/04]
REP. ROHRABACHER (R-CA) “A couple of serious questions here. First, before I get into the more contentious one, let me ask Mr. Rodman about perhaps -- the general stated that there are still operations going on against the Taliban and described them as the biggest threat still remaining, the remnants of the Taliban. Would you agree with that?”
PETER RODMAN (Assistant Secretary of Defense, Int’l Security Affairs): “As General Sharp said, that's the main mission of most of our troops, these operations in the Afghan-Pakistan border area.”
ROHRABACHER: “Right and so the Taliban are still a force to be reckoned with.”
RODMAN: “Al Qaeda and Taliban and some extremist allies of theirs.”
And up to 90% of Country is Under Taliban Control: “A picture of Afghanistan's been painted I think overly optimistic. You read the newspapers, what you're talking about doesn't even exist from the reports that I read about what's really going on. And when you hear about Doctors Without Borders leaving after having been there through the Russian occupation, the U.N. wants to leave. Protection of the president is very precarious; we don't know what'll come of that. The airport's getting bombed. There's estimates that 90 percent of the country -- at least a very large percent of the country, is under the occupation of the Taliban and the warlords.” [Rep. Paul (R-TX)., Remarks to House Committee on International Relations, 9/23/04]
British Sending More Troops to Fight the Taliban: “The British Army is to deploy up to 5,000 extra troops to Afghanistan to defeat a rising Taliban insurgency and to hunt for Al-Qaeda terrorists and their leader, Osama Bin Laden.” [Sunday Times, 9/26/04]
Taliban Violence Threatens Elections: The pre-election period has been marred by repeated attacks against voter registration workers and facilities, mostly carried out by Taliban forces. The Taliban has vowed to sabotage the election -- the first national poll in Afghanistan in three decades of war and turmoil, and the country's first-ever presidential election. [Washington Post, 9/17/04]
Taliban Has Re-Established Training Camps in Pakistan: “In fact, bin Laden's fighters are regrouping in Pakistan. And Pakistani officials confirm that Al Qaeda and the Taliban were actually able to set up new training camps inside Pakistan this year.” [Brian Ross, ABC Good Morning America, 9/11/04]
Killings Increasing in Taliban-Controlled Areas: “More than 1,000 people, including militants, election officials, soldiers and aid workers, have died in violence over the past year, with many attacks occurring in Afghanistan's south and east where the Taliban are strongest.” [MSNBC, 8/31/04]
Violence Against Americans in Afghanistan is Increasing: More than twice as many Americans have been killed in combat already in 2004 than in all of 2003.