General John Abizaid, Commanding General of US Central Command, in Doha, Qatar, talks with NBC's Tim Russert in Washington. General Abizaid says he won't comment specifically to statements from politicians, but that Iraq is moving in a direction to become a democratic state and people shouldn't lose heart in difficult times. Says commanders in the field are confident about the military mission, and confident in their ability to hold elections that are fair and relatively stable. Calls Iraq a very complex environment with stable areas in the north and south and dangerous areas in the Sunni heartland. Says they have moved very fast to build up Iraqi security forces to provide an atmosphere for stable elections in January, and that the process is moving forward from occupation to partnership to full independence. Calls one national intelligence estimate overly pessimistic and that people should have faith in Iraqis who are defending their country against extremeists. Talks about foreign fighters, terrorists and former regime elements who aim to upend the election process; the challenges of securing the borders with effective forces; and that views of the war being lost and a resistance out of control do not square with the facts on the ground. General Abizaid says Iraqis and Americans are facing the resistance, will figure out how to defeat it, and will move on to free elections and a constitutional government. He notes the insurgents have yet to win a single battle, but are masters at manipulating the media to break the will of people. They talk about political debates in America about the war, reasons why the fight in Iraq is worth fighting, and the goals for upcoming election. Says more Iraqi troops will be built up for the elections, with the possibility of more international and American forces, and that elections will occur in the vast majority of the country. The talk about rebuilding Iraqi security forces, how US troops support those forces, and bracing ourselves for a long war in the region.
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2004 13:36 |
| Category: | Interviews |
| Video ID: | 660 |
| Filename: | 040926_Gen_Abizaid_Interview_RussertNBC |
| Length: | 00:25:27 |
| Location: |
| Downloads: | 1 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 0 |
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