The war against terrorism in Afghanistan is an ongoing struggle and at this point of time cannot be defined in terms of winning or losing, an Obama administration official has said.
“We recognise this as a difficult, long-term struggle. On any given day, we take steps which may give us the upper hand and we recognise that on another day, our adversaries will take steps and are able to inflict significant impact on the population or the international forces in Afghanistan,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters here.
Noting that this is a significant international struggle and not about any one country, Mr Crowley said: “We are determined to work as hard as we can for as long as it takes to succeed, not just in one part of the world, but obviously, we are concerned that some of these elements are linked to global networks, and this is not just a struggle in South Asia.”
It’s a struggle that, from South Asia, has impacts in other parts of the world, he said in response to a question.
“As our military leaders have made clear, we have not yet won, but I don’t think that I would characterise that we are losing,” Mr Crowley said in response to question about a statement from Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari that the international community was losing the war in Afghanistan.