US President Barack Obama vowed to prevent al-Qaeda from operating “with impunity” in Afghanistan and called for a combined effort to eradicate safe havens for the Taliban and other militants there.
As Washington launches a review of US policy in Afghanistan, Obama said Afghanistan’s national government “seems very detached from what’s going on in the surrounding community.”
In his first press conference on Monday, Obama pointed to Taliban and al-Qaeda militants operating in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“What we haven’t seen is the kind of concerted effort to root out those safe havens that ultimately makes our mission successful,” he said.
“We are going to need more effective coordination with our military efforts with diplomatic efforts, with development efforts, with more effective coordination with our allies in order for us to be successful,” he said.
“I do not have a timetable for how long that’s going to take. What I know is I’m not going to allow al-Qaeda and [Osama] bin Laden to operate with impunity attacking the US,” he said.
“My bottom line is that we cannot allow al-Qaeda to operate, we cannot have safe havens in that region. And we’re going to have to work both smartly and with consistency,” he said.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
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