US Determined to Complete its Mission in Afghanistan

tolonews.com

US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta said the United States is determined to complete its mission in Afghanistan despite the spate of killings of Isaf forces there.

Six Isaf soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in just over a week, apparently in revenge for US servicemen burning Korans at Bagram Air Base. Last Saturday, an Afghan policeman shot dead two US advisors at the Afghan Ministry of Interior.

Speaking at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, Mr Panetta said the United States has considerably weakened al-Qaeda and decimated its leadership.

"Let me be very clear," Panetta told the students, "the brutal attacks that we have seen on our troops in the last few days will not change or alter our determination to see this through. We have demonstrated that we will continue to do everything possible to protect our citizens and our security."

There are around 90,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting insurgents.

"Our goal is that by the end of 2014, the Afghans will have the responsibility to govern and secure themselves," he said.

Mr Panetta said the United States must maintain the world's strongest military while maintaining effective diplomacy and building a strong economy.