Afghan Election 'Remarkable Event,' Ambassador Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2004 – The Afghan presidential election held Oct. 9 was "a
remarkable event," U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said at the
Pentagon today.
Following a meeting with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the ambassador
told the press that Afghanistan is the front line of freedom and "the Afghans
took advantage of the opportunity provided to them by the coalition to move
towards building a democratic society."
The election was relatively violence-free. U.N. officials estimate that about
80 percent of the 10 million Afghans registered to vote did so. Counting the
ballots has begun in the capital of Kabul.
Khalilzad said this progress was in spite of al Qaeda and Taliban threats to
disrupt the election. The ambassador said some Afghans prepared themselves for
death – washing themselves and saying prayers – before going to the polls.
The ambassador said the election was only possible due to the fine work of the
men and women of the armed forces. American troops and their allies "provided a
secure environment for the Afghans to vote by effective preventive and
preemptive action." He said the election could have been a bloody day "because
the Taliban and al Qaeda declared war on this election."
The forces – including 15,000 members of the Afghan National Army and 30,000
members of the Afghan police force – took effective measures. The terrorists
attempted spectacular attacks in Afghanistan, but effective work by coalition
and Afghan forces "disrupted their attempts to disrupt the election. They
failed. We succeeded. Our forces succeeded and the Afghan forces succeeded," he
said.
In Kandahar, security forces intercepted a tanker truck with five tons of
explosives on it. "God forbid if that tanker truck had exploded in downtown
Kandahar," Khalilzad said. Security forces also intercepted many rockets that
terrorists intended to fire.
He also praised the Pakistani government for its "useful and important role" in
preventing cross-border operations.
The ambassador said Afghans are grateful to coalition forces for the chance
they have been given. U.S. forces will remain in Afghanistan as long as they
are needed, said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita. The election was an
"enormous milestone" that has been passed.
Khalilzad said that "if the journey of Afghanistan standing on its own feet and
being a successful country is a 10-mile journey, then Afghanistan has … just
passed Mile 3."
He said security, economic and political progress is going very well. The
national government is taking more control in the country. Three years ago,
militias commanded by regional leaders ruled the country. "Today more than
20,000 of the 50,000 militia forces have been civilianized," he said. Militias
are cantoning their heavy weapons. He said nationally 57 percent of the heavy
weapons in the heavily armed country have been cantoned.
"The country is succeeding thanks to efforts of the United States and other
nations as well as ordinary Afghans taking their future in their own hands," he
said.
The ambassador said that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will be caught. "I
don't know when, but ultimately we will find him in a hole somewhere and his
days are numbered. But I'm not predicting when," he said.
He said that even with bin Laden's capture, the war on terror will continue. He
said catching or killing bin Laden is important symbolically, but the war on
terror is "not about one person … it is about networks."
He said the chance of terrorist networks getting weapons of mass destruction
"is the challenge of our time, the defining threat of our time."
Biographies:
U.S. Ambassador to
Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld
Pentagon Spokesman Larry Di Rita
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