The Washington Post
August 26, 2012
Read Online
General John R. Allen, commander of the NATO International Security
Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, published the
following op-ed in Sunday's Washington Post. General Allen
wrote that with continued commitment we can prevail in a part of the
world vital to U.S. national security and the mission in Afghanistan is more
accurately characterized by "green and blue" cooperation
rather than "green ON blue" violence.
“But the real story here is green and blue. Every day, hundreds of
thousands of Afghan soldiers and police across this nation work and fight
side by side with coalition troops to defeat our common enemies and protect
the civilian population. We interact closely on numerous operations,
extending security for the Afghan people.”
“These trends speak well for the future of Afghanistan, but the
international community should know these gains are fragile, and reversible,
if we lose our will to succeed.”
“This struggle is far from over, but the solution will be found in
our growing strength and will not be defined by incidents of “green-on-blue”
violence. Our cause is right, our determination is clear and our sacrifices
have not been in vain. We are, in fact, prevailing.”
…….
“We can achieve what we set out to do in Afghanistan, defeating al-Qaeda
and denying it a haven, but that depends on achieving an Afghanistan that can
stand on its own.”
“This moment in Afghan history has arrived not by accident or luck but in
the wake of powerful events: the growing strength and capability of Afghan security
forces; the signing of bilateral and multilateral strategic partnerships; and
the international community’s pledge of substantial support for the next
decade.”
“These accomplishments have been borne on the backs of remarkable allied and
Afghan forces — those serving today and those who have gone before. Their
tremendous sacrifices are creating security conditions that, finally, are
bringing a real sense of confidence to the Afghan people.”
“We will not allow our efforts to be derailed by the so-called
“green-on-blue” attacks — Afghans shooting coalition troops — that have
received so much attention recently. Each instance is a tragedy, and we mourn
every loss.”
…….
“This is playing out in another important color combination: white on red.
The Afghan population is organizing to drive the hated Taliban from their
villages. This movement is emerging in areas where the heavy hand of the
Taliban has created a popular groundswell against the insurgents. These
trends speak well for the future of Afghanistan, but the international
community should know these gains are fragile, and reversible, if we lose our
will to succeed.”
“U.S., allied and Afghan security forces will continue to deal with
“green-on-blue” attacks. We will mourn our precious dead, but we will not
permit this threat to derail the progress being made by coalition and Afghan
forces. We also resolve to protect the civilian population, the 'white,' from
the scourge of the Taliban, the ‘red.’"
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