Editorial: Afghans Will Not Be Intimidated

Editorial: Afghans will not be intimidated - 2004-06-27. More than 4 million Afghans have registered to vote in the September elections and select a new government. One of them is Azimeh Nabi, a 39-year-old teacher and mother of six. She says the elections will be a significant turning point towards a better Afghanistan. General David Barno, the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, agrees, stating that the number of registrants is a key indicator of the Afghan people's commitment to their democratic future. This is why the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups are still trying to disrupt Afghanistan's democratic process. 'They understand that the elections are about the future of the Afghan people, and the people are fully committed to conducting them through a democratic process.' General Barno states that efforts to eradicate terrorists on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border are intensifying: 'Between operations in Afghanistan, which have been very intense over the past three months with the Mountain Storm operations, and ongoing operations in Pakistan, which involve a large number of forces, including over 10,000 army members currently active across various targets in South Waziristan, this is the most powerful action the Pakistanis have taken so far. I believe al-Qaeda and its network are under tremendous pressure. This situation will continue as we effectively conduct some very important combat operations on both sides of the border.' General Barno mentions that the search for Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar, and other terrorist leaders believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan continues. 'Our focus will remain on finding the key leaders of these organizations and capturing and bringing them to justice, but we are also well aware that dismantling their network is vital to ensure they can no longer continue to threaten others.' In addition to the terrorist threat, Afghanistan faces issues of drug trafficking, disarming local militias, expanding the power of local governments, and accelerating the modernization process. General Barno stated, 'Addressing these issues and other challenges facing this nascent democracy will not be easy. However, the people of Afghanistan will not face these challenges alone.'