US must prevent Taliban takeover in Afghan war: Gates

11 Mar 2009, AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States must "at a minimum" prevent Taliban insurgents from returning to power in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview on Tuesday.

While President Barack Obama's administration was still reviewing US strategy in Afghanistan, Gates said that the US effort would have to ensure the Taliban would not rule the country again after being ousted in 2001.

"I would say that at a minimum, the mission is to prevent the Taliban from retaking power against a democratically elected government in Afghanistan, thus turning Afghanistan, potentially again, into a haven for al-Qaida and other extremists," Gates told National Public Radio.

The defense chief was asked if the administration's goal was to gain a strong enough position to pursue negotiations with elements of the insurgents, but he did not speak directly to possible talks with the Taliban.

"The specific mission is clearly one of the subjects under review by the administration right now. And I think we have to wait until that's done to have real clarity on that," he said.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden said this week that possible negotiations with elements of the insurgents should be considered, with Biden saying on Tuesday it was an option "worth exploring."

Taliban insurgents, allied with al-Qaida, have rebounded in Afghanistan in the years since the US-led invasion toppled their regime in 2001.

Gates said "the reality is that this situation really began to go downhill again about 2005, 2006, as the Taliban began to take advantage of their safe haven on the Pakistani side of the border, to begin to re-infiltrate into Afghanistan, and create security problems."

"And we've really just been responding to that."

Asked if the war was entering a new phase, Gates said: "Well, I don't know whether it's act three or just a prolongation of act two. But clearly, we all still have our work cut out for us."

Gates also reiterated calls for bolstering civilian efforts in Afghanistan and that he hoped NATO allies could provide some assistance.

"I think that they are committing additional troops to provide security for the election. I'm not sure that they'll be there for a prolonged period of time," he said referring to NATO member states.

"But I would say that really where we need the help is on the civilian side, whether it's agricultural specialists or people who can help with governance, economic development, and so on."

Obama last month approved the deployment of 17,000 US troops to Afghanistan, who will join the already 38,000 strong US force taking on a growing insurgency.