[Mb-civic] NYTimes.com Article: Op-Ed Contributor: War of Words

Tue Oct 19 08:00:52 PDT 2004

The article below from NYTimes.com 
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Op-Ed Contributor: War of Words

October 19, 2004
 By TOMMY FRANKS 

President Bush and Senator John Kerry have very different
views of the war on terrorism, and those differences ought
to be debated in this presidential campaign. But the debate
should focus on facts, not distortions of history. 

On more than one occasion, Senator Kerry has referred to
the fight at Tora Bora in Afghanistan during late 2001 as a
missed opportunity for America. He claims that our forces
had Osama bin Laden cornered and allowed him to escape. How
did it happen? According to Mr. Kerry, we "outsourced" the
job to Afghan warlords. As commander of the allied forces
in the Middle East, I was responsible for the operation at
Tora Bora, and I can tell you that the senator's
understanding of events doesn't square with reality. 

First, take Mr. Kerry's contention that we "had an
opportunity to capture or kill Osama bin Laden" and that
"we had him surrounded." We don't know to this day whether
Mr. bin Laden was at Tora Bora in December 2001. Some
intelligence sources said he was; others indicated he was
in Pakistan at the time; still others suggested he was in
Kashmir. Tora Bora was teeming with Taliban and Qaeda
operatives, many of whom were killed or captured, but Mr.
bin Laden was never within our grasp. 

Second, we did not "outsource" military action. We did rely
heavily on Afghans because they knew Tora Bora, a
mountainous, geographically difficult region on the border
of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is where Afghan mujahedeen
holed up for years, keeping alive their resistance to the
Soviet Union. Killing and capturing Taliban and Qaeda
fighters was best done by the Afghan fighters who already
knew the caves and tunnels. 

Third, the Afghans weren't left to do the job alone.
Special forces from the United States and several other
countries were there, providing tactical leadership and
calling in air strikes. Pakistani troops also provided
significant help - as many as 100,000 sealed the border and
rounded up hundreds of Qaeda and Taliban fighters. 

Contrary to Senator Kerry, President Bush never "took his
eye off the ball" when it came to Osama bin Laden. The war
on terrorism has a global focus. It cannot be divided into
separate and unrelated wars, one in Afghanistan and another
in Iraq. Both are part of the same effort to capture and
kill terrorists before they are able to strike America
again, potentially with weapons of mass destruction.
Terrorist cells are operating in some 60 countries, and the
United States, in coordination with dozens of allies, is
waging this war on many fronts. 

As we planned for potential military action in Iraq and
conducted counterterrorist operations in several other
countries in the region, Afghanistan remained a center of
focus. Neither attention nor manpower was diverted from
Afghanistan to Iraq. When we started Operation Iraqi
Freedom we had about 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, and by
the time we finished major combat operations in Iraq last
May we had more than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. 

We are committed to winning this war on all fronts, and we
are making impressive gains. Afghanistan has held the first
free elections in its history. Iraq is led by a free
government made up of its own citizens. By the end of this
year, NATO and American forces will have trained 125,000
Iraqis to enforce the law, fight insurgents and secure the
borders. This is in addition to the great humanitarian
progress already achieved in Iraq. 

Many hurdles remain, of course. But the gravest danger
would result from the withdrawal of American troops before
we finish our work. Today we are asking our servicemen and
women to do more, in more places, than we have in decades.
They deserve honest, consistent, no-spin leadership that
respects them, their families and their sacrifices. The war
against terrorism is the right war at the right time for
the right reasons. And Iraq is one of the places that war
must be fought and won. George W. Bush has his eye on that
ball and Senator John Kerry does not. 

Tommy Franks, a retired general and former commander in
chief of the Central Command, is the author of "American
Soldier." He is a member of Veterans for Bush. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/19/opinion/19franks.html?ex=1099198052&ei=1&en=4cf1b21871a64f32

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