General picked to oversee wars optimistic about victory in Afghanistan, 2011 withdrawal
By Anne Flaherty, APTuesday, July 27, 2010
Central Command nominee optimistic on Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — The general chosen to lead U.S. Central Command on Tuesday declared that victory in Afghanistan was possible and expressed optimism that troops would start coming home in a year.
Gen. James Mattis, the tough-talking Marine who helped lead the invasion of Iraq, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he supported the strategy in Afghanistan laid out by President Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus.
If confirmed as expected, Mattis would replace Petraeus at Central Command and oversee U.S. military operations across the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran. Petraeus left the plum assignment to take over combat in Afghanistan after Gen. Stanley McChrystal was fired.
“We will have some bad days ahead, but so long as we hold fast and adapt faster than the enemy, the enemy’s situation will continue to worsen,” Mattis told lawmakers.
Mattis defined success in Afghanistan as propping up an Afghan government that is stable enough to keep “extremists” from using the country as a terrorist base.
Republicans used the confirmation hearing to press Mattis on Obama’s decision to begin pulling troops out of Afghanistan next year. Mattis said he supported the decision because the deadline is contingent upon security conditions at the time.
“It’s a date when a process begins,” Mattis said. “It’s not a hand-off of a hot potato.”
Mattis also defended the U.S. relationship with Pakistan. Internal military documents leaked this week suggest that U.S. officials have long regarded Pakistan as an untrustworthy partner against militants who use the country as a safe zone.
Mattis called the leak “grossly irresponsible” and said he believes that cooperation with Pakistan on counterterrorism is at an “all-time high.”
The U.S.-Pakistan relationship is “trending in the right direction,” he said.
Mattis said he is probably most concerned about Iran, including its desire to enrich uranium that could be used to build a nuclear bomb.
