Obama: Al Qaeda Is Now 'Hunkered Down'

5:58pm UK, Thursday December 16, 2010

Niall Paterson, defence correspondent in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama has warned that defeating al Qaeda remained difficult and would take time - as a senior British officer said UK forces would cease combat by 2014.

Mr Obama said that an annual review of progress indicated the war remained a "very difficult endeavour" but the US was "on track to achieve our goals".

"We are focused on disrupting, dismantling and defeating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and preventing its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future," he said.

The President said there has been "significant progress" and that al Qaeda "is hunkered down" finding it harder to recruit, train and plot attacks.

But he warned: "It will take time to ultimately defeat al Qaeda and it remains a ruthless and resilient enemy bent on attacking our country."

US strategy has involved attacks on al Qaeda by drones

Because the US core goal is to disrupt, defeat and dismantle the terror network, Mr Obama also emphasised what it would not do in the country.

"It is not our core goal to defeat every last threat to the security of Afghanistan... and it is not nation-building, because it is Afghans who must build their nation," he said.

The President said the US will also increase its activity with Pakistan and urge better relationship between Afghanistan and its neighbour.

Officials styled the annual war report as a snapshot of the war rather than heralding a major strategy change.

It appears to give Mr Obama breathing room to begin his promised conditions-based withdrawal of troops next year, while reconciling concerns by the military that it is too early for substantial troop reductions.

Progress will permit a "responsible reduction" next July to begin of US forces, currently at nearly 100,000, though a full handover to Afghan security is not envisaged until at least 2014, the review said.

It is not our core goal to defeat every last threat to the security of Afghanistan... and it is not nation-building, because it is Afghans who must build their nation

President Barack Obama on what the US would not do in Afghanistan

Meanwhile, around 9,000 British troops serve in the country but Afghan nationals are being trained in the hope of taking over security operations next year.

An estimated 12,000 new recruits are being trained at the Kabul military training academy, to replace Western duties.

David Cameron is adamant British service personnel could starting leaving in 2011, with all combat troops expected to have left by 2014.

And the most senior British military officer in Afghanistan is confident the UK's 2014 deadline for the end of combat operations will be met.

"I'm very confident we are going to meet that date," General James Bucknall, deputy commander Isaf told Sky News.

"We spend a lot of time now getting the inputs in place and getting the resources in place here - they are now in place.

President Obama will speak later on progress in Afghanistan

"It is obviously going to take time for those resources to have effect. We think they are beginning to have effect.

"It is going to take even longer for us to prove that demonstrably," General Bucknall said.

Part of the strategic shift of Western thinking is responsibility for counter-insurgency work.

It will increasingly cease to be an international task, even if the UK has a presence in Afghanistan for many years to come.

But questions have been asked by Afghans about the announcement of any planned withdrawals.

"Just saying that we will just finish everything by 2014, then all the sacrifices and blood and treasure from your forces and taxpayer money with our blood it will go with the wind," Afghan defence minister Abdul Rahim Wardak told Sky News.