Terror sanctuaries in Pakistan a big challenge: US

commanderGen Nicholson says US will not

sit back but work aggressively for Afghanistan; admits Pakistan suffers from terrorism heavily

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’s choice to take command of the coalition and US forces in Afghanistan told senators on Thursday that Afghan forces need an improvement in some capabilities but have performed well in battle.

Army Lt Gen John W Mick Nicholson Jr appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is considering his nomination to succeed Army Gen John F Campbell as commander of the Operation Resolute Support and US Forces Afghanistan.

In his statement, the general said he anticipates working closely with Pakistani military officials, noting that the Taliban historically have taken refuge in the provinces of western Pakistan. “It’s a sanctuary that our enemies — in particular the Haqqani network — have enjoyed inside Pakistan,” he said, adding that this sanctuary is a big challenge but the US will not sit back and will adopt aggressive style to protect Afghanistan.

The Pakistani military has made recent progress, but that has blown hot and cold, the general said. Nicholson cited different levels of effort and different offensives in parts of the tribal areas inside Pakistan. “I note that the Pakistanis have also suffered significant casualties in the tens of thousands in terms of their security forces and their civilians — most recently, these horrendous attacks on schools that have occurred inside Pakistan,” he said.

“Yet at the same time, we’ve not been satisfied that there’s adequate pressure put on the Haqqanis,” he continued. “The recent operations in northern Waziristan have helped, as well as stationing of additional regular army soldiers in tribal areas have helped. Some of this has pushed some fighters into Afghanistan.”

In his testimony, the general stressed the need for a long-term, capabilities-based US presence in Afghanistan and said American security aid to the nation is rightly concentrated on counter terrorism and the “train, advise and assist” missions.

Nicholson praised the fighting capabilities of Afghan soldiers. “They continue to fight, and they work hard to roll back any Taliban gains,” he said.

Afghan forces have some shortcomings in areas such as intelligence collection, assessment and dissemination and Afghan air support — both fixed-wing and helicopter, he said. “The growth of mid-level leaders at the small-unit level, where tactics matter and where we combine arms, is extremely important,” Nicholson said.About 9,800 US service members are now in Afghanistan. This is due to drop to 5,500 by the end of the year.