Afghan Quotations

In all the debate about Afghanistan, we don't hear much about our obligation to the wretched lives of Afghan women. They are being treated as collateral damage as the big boys discuss geopolitical goals.

We provide transit facilities, we cooperate in equipping the Afghan army and security forces with arms and helicopters, we cooperate in training officers for law enforcement agencies.

Well, the reports are correct that we're conducting very robust military operations on the Afghan side of the border in areas where we think al-Qaida is operating and Taliban remnants are.

I tried to render the Afghan war as much as I could fro the perspective of the Afghans. I have served as an advisor to Afghan troops, and much of my war experience was seen through the lens of fighting that war alongside Afghan soldiers.

In 2012, I received a phone call from the family of Arsala Rahmani, the Afghan senator with whom I'd become friendly. That morning, a gunman had pulled up alongside Rahmani's vehicle, idling in a crowded intersection, and shot him point blank.

If you're an Afghan village leader in a small town down around Kandahar somewhere, and you know that the footprint is getting smaller for your security, and the Taliban saying don't forget, I'm going to be back real soon, who is your loyalty going to go through?

Many Afghan intellectuals in the United States believe that their country is best kept together. They are encouraged by the fact that no leading tribal or political figure there has called for secession.

When the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996 after a searing, four-year civil war, they immediately instituted laws which fit their utopic vision of the time of Islam's founding more than 1,300 years earlier. Afghan women's lives offered the most visible sign of the imagined past to which Afghanistan's present was to be returned.

The United States supports the reintegration of people who have fought with the Taliban into Afghan society provided they: one, renounce al Qaeda, two, lay down their arms and renounce violence, and three, participate in the public political life of the country in accordance with the constitution.

A problem was the lack of cooperation of the Afghan community itself. The women, though living in Iran, were under cover and not willing to participate in the film, and none of the ethnic groups were willing to work together or be together.

The reasoning for our civil-military plan is that lasting success will be when the Afghan government, security forces and people can resist the insurgents and terrorists themselves.

We are not in Afghanistan because girls were not allowed to go to school, but helping them do so will give the Afghan people hope for a better future.

Our presence in Afghanistan is not worth the price of any more American lives or treasure.

We're going to continue to engage Afghan authorities on this matter in order to help seek accountability for any violations that may have occurred.

We're in the south to help and protect the Afghan people to reconstruct their economy and democracy. We would be perfectly happy to leave in three year's time without firing one shot.

If we can't understand the Afghan family, we can't understand Afghanistan.

There are more serious leaders who are outstanding and not in custody than the three you described and I am sure that a number of those will not be part of the reconciliation process but again that is a decision that the Afghan government has the lead on,

The people of Pakistan assisted the Afghan people during our long years of problems, during the Soviet invasion, they provided all possible assistance. So when they are in need, the people of Afghanistan share their pain and want to do whatever possible to assist.

We have asked Afghan authorities to investigate the matter and tell us how these innocent Pakistani civilians were killed by Afghan forces.

Maybe to feel like an Afghan I needed to be born and raised in the States, and maybe I needed to live in Afghanistan for nearly a decade to feel like an American. Both worlds shaped me, but neither one of them completely correspond to the picture I have of myself.

Now you have to shoulder your responsibility to pave the way for a peaceful political future for your nation - a way which reflects your society's diversity and traditions and which will be acceptable to all Afghans. It is up to you the representatives of the Afghan people to seize this historic moment, ... Germany, the EU (European Union) and the international community led by the United Nations stand ready to help now and in long term.

No coalition forces should go to Afghan homes without the authorization of the Afghan government. ... The use of air power is something that may not be very effective now. ... That's what I mean by a change in strategy.

One of the main vulnerabilities of the Afghan Army is their logistics system,

I didn't want kabobs, Afghan music, and rules that required girls to be carefully monitored. I wanted mac and cheese, country music, and independence.

I am saddened that the lives of many Afghan people, mainly soldiers serving the Afghan nation, were lost, ... I condemn the attack in the strongest terms.

Certainly it was a tough day for them. We have learned from Col. Ian Hope that the Afghan police force lost at least two of its leaders and high-ranking officials.

He is just one of a million children there, and that is a boy who has put an Afghan face on Canada's mission in the country. I think it's important for people to realize that that's why the Canadian forces are there, to try to restore some of the things that take for granted in the western world.

We're probably going to see some post-2014 military presence - some U.S. presence and a NATO presence - and while we've got much work to do in the next 29 months, we'll have additional time later for the continued professionalization of the Afghan security forces.

There are tens of thousands of interactions every single day across Afghanistan between the Afghan troops and International Security Assistance Force. On most of those, every single day we continue to deepen and broaden the relationship we seek.

It is abominable to witness the cold and calculated destruction of cultural properties which were the heritage of the Afghan people, and, indeed, of the whole of humanity.

It is not just refugees but all the Afghan people who are in a precarious situation, a situation of great distress, which is intolerable.

It is in the best interest of Afghan people if the election is held in a peaceful environment. A peaceful election is a success of the Afghan people.

I think there is absolutely no question that the partial evidence strongly suggests that there have been increasing contacts between Afghan insurgents and Iraqi insurgents either in Iraq itself or in Pakistan, the trails going in both directions.

Our interest today is to ensure that this energy and concern will be harnessed towards convincing negotiators and leaders of Afghan factions alike of the benefits of including Afghan women as full partners in the decision-making process around the peace table, in humanitarian efforts and in reconstruction of the country.

Our preference would be an Afghan force composed of all ethnic groups, of course under the U.N.,

Our forces are able to go on the offensive, working in partnership with the Afghan national security forces.

Our fears have been born out by the reports of several international humanitarian agencies, which have stated that these sanctions have stifled economic activity inside Afghanistan. New sanctions will compound the misery of the Afghan people,

People need to distinguish between combatants and those innocent civilians who do not bear arms. They also need to be mindful for protecting assets essential for the survival of Afghan civilians.

Some of the Afghan people told us that at half-time in games under the Taliban, an open-top truck would be driven on the pitch with a woman tied up in the back. She would then be beheaded.

I was traumatised in the medieval Afghan society at Sarana village by the local boys of Omar's Taliban who forced my in-laws to subjugate me for trying to be different. There can be Omars in other religions, too, who oppress women.

Joint operation of Afghan army, police and US-led coalition troops is going on in the area.

The Afghan people need a government that is functional and accountable. The warlords offer neither.

The Afghan people in the city live in something like mud houses, ... If they live out in the country, they live in old-time tents with no electricity. In town, they sleep on top of their houses because it's so hot at night.

The Afghan people have proven once again that they know their interests, that they can work for tomorrow, that they have a vision and they will vote for that vision,

The Afghan people have done their job. Now the international community must come and provide alternative revenue to the Afghan people which they have not done so far,

The Afghan government strongly condemns this act of terror, and will not rest until the perpetrators of such attacks are brought to justice. The Afghan government and people are grateful for the dedication and courage shown by Canadian and other multi-national troops in helping us secure the volatile Southern belt of the country.

The Afghan constitution has declared that men and women are equal but in reality women are still second class citizens.

the Afghan civilian population nor their homes or property have been targeted.

The Afghan ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office here today and we have lodged a strong protest with him.

WikiLeaks published the Afghan War Logs and U.S. diplomatic cables stolen from a classified network by an Army private.

Whoever they are, we are sure they are terrorists because this was an Afghan national ... a leader with a long history of struggle for the freedom of his country.

We do understand that he will be released, that the Afghan government has found that there were substantial evidentiary problems with the case and that the case would -- and has been referred back to the ministry of justice and that he will be released. We're pleased by that." ()

We hope that the Afghan constitution is going to be upheld and in our view, if it's upheld, then of course he'll be found to be innocent.

We're working to make clear to the Afghan people that we support them, and we're working to free them from the Taliban and their foreign terrorist allies,

We have a variety of intelligence and we're sure we're going to catch Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar this year. We've learned lessons from Iraq and we're getting improved intelligence from the Afghan people.

The overall level of Afghan and coalition security forces in the country is growing.

We discussed...in broad strokes, the aid that's already going to help the Afghan people, ... the need to put together a broader coalition, probably under the mandate of the United Nations, but with our strong support of follow-on after this undertaking to take out Mr. bin Laden and his associates happens.

We are concerned to read news that Afghan groups are asking for military assistance, the Northern Alliance has said so,

Today we called the Afghan ambassador and lodged a strong protest.

We don't know exactly the scale of the damage. Afghan National Army troops are on the ground helping villagers,

We are making history. It's the day of self-determination for the Afghan people. After 30 years of wars, interventions, occupations and misery, today Afghanistan is moving forward, making an economy, making political institutions.

The dangers of an Afghan collapse are many: Afghan deaths, a loss of American prestige, a loss of NATO prestige, a moral blow to U.S. troops and veterans, a Taliban resurgence, huge setbacks for women, and greater power for Pakistan and Pakistani extremists.

We should not read too much into this weekend's event. The Afghan public is starting to look for performance from the government and this is the more important transition we are in right now.

When Bush had an opportunity to capture or kill bin Laden, he took his focus off of him, outsourced the job to Afghan warlords and bin Laden escaped.

We have more Afghan police, more Afghan army, more American army, more international forces. I believe we will have a secure elections,

U.S. and Afghan forces are setting up polling stations in crowded areas which if attacked will cause big losses.

We are very happy that this went on peacefully, we are very happy that the Afghan people came to participate so massively. That's what I care about -- the will of the Afghan people, and I'm sure the Afghan people have voted freely, without fear, without intimidation.

Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.

As the U.S. and Afghan military forces neared the compound, they observed several armed men in the compound moving into fighting positions. They were armed with AK-47s.

committed to letting the Afghan people determine their own future.

These soldiers were operating and fighting alongside Afghan National Security Forces,

These expectations of the people will have to be met. What the election does is give the Afghan people a new channel to voice their opinions and demands.

The step has been taken to enhance security measures on the border before the Afghan elections,

The start of the repatriation season is slow, as some 15 Afghan families comprising about 75 individuals have left Pakistan over the last two days, including five families that returned on Wednesday. But this is quite usual.

These courses are creating women role models that demonstrate what Afghan women can do if given the opportunity.

The Taliban mostly attacks international and Afghan security forces. They rarely carry out attacks in markets.

The Taliban are thankful to the Afghan people for rejecting the U.S. drama. Our jihad (holy war) will continue until the withdrawal of foreign infidel troops, and our attacks will be expedited. The Taliban have become more organized and strong.

The success of the Conference should be judged by how much donors commit to do for the security and development of the Afghan people, not their own political agendas. The real measure of security and development in Afghanistan is not the number of foreign troops, but whether people feel safe enough to go to the market, to travel at night to seek medical care, or to send their children to school.

Afghanistan is where much of the al Qaeda journey began. It is the main site where Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and their cohort rose to prominence fighting the Soviets in the 1980s. Afghan territory holds special significance to the group, which is committed to retaking it and re-establishing it as the base of a global movement.

Afghan human rights campaigners worry that U.S. forces may be using secret detention sites like the one allegedly at Rish-Khor to carry out interrogations away from prying eyes. The U.S. military, however, denies even having knowledge of the facility.

Afghan authorities are investigating the matter. If these reports are true, we condemn the incident and urge that all of them be released.

Afghan and U.S. forces did not open fire based on these initial movements, choosing instead to develop the situation,

After literally hundreds of firefights, Chosen Company became increasingly battle-hardened. And they also became increasingly suspicious of their Afghan counterparts, believing - with their lives on the line at the end of the day - that they could only truly rely on themselves.

During search operations, coalition forces and Afghan forces found the body of David Addison.

Definitely in the West, we're all cast as the same now. Whether you're Indian, Pakistani, Arab, Iranian, Afghan or whatever, you just get thrown into this category. And nine times out of 10, you're depicted as bad.

You must keep in mind that Pakistan has suffered the aftermaths of the Cold War, and that Cold War had left deep imprints on our society. We were the worst sufferers from the ills of the Afghan war.

This election could have produced a parliament that really reflected the wants and needs of the Afghan people to be free from the rule of the gun . . . and for clinics, roads, schools and jobs. Instead what we may get is a parliament stocked with figures who represent the bloody past and who have very little legitimacy or competence to address the basic needs of the country.

This effort is certainly not against the Afghan people. It's not against a race. It's not against a religion. It's against terrorists who came into the United States and killed thousands of human beings, innocent people,

This incident is a tragic reminder of the insecurity that continues to plague the Afghan population and of the enormous risks facing the dedicated and courageous Canadian civilian and military personnel working in that country.

They say it's one Afghan at a time.

(It) is the day of self-determination for the Afghan people,

Foreign aid projects have pumped billions of dollars into the Afghan economy.

For every American soldier we put into Afghanistan, we could train and equip 14 Afghan soldiers. Those Afghan soldiers are going to understand the local terrain. They're going to understand the local customs and culture, and they're going to be able to speak the language.

It's not an effort against the Afghan people, ... Indeed, we are providing humanitarian assistance.

The book came after the fall of the Taliban, it says something about Afghan family life. Those kind of stories - what happens behind the scenes on a TV screen - are important.

The attacker carried the bomb in a motorcycle and detonated when he drove to the parking area of a military training center. Nine including five Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed, and 28 others injured,

The Afghan security forces will always have the help of the U.S. American military to ensure that Afghanistan never fails.

It's amazing what the soldiers are doing to help the Afghan people,

There was a real sense of solidarity among the neighboring states, a desire to see this work and send a signal to all the Afghan factions that they were no longer to receive assistance if they did not adopt this accord.

Once again the Afghan people have shown how determined they are to build a better future for their country.