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World Security Network reporting from
Islamabad in Pakistan,
May 04, 2011
Dear Cavkic Salih,
 |
Former Pakistani ISI Director
Gen. Lt. (Ret.) Hamid Gul, here with
World Security Network President
Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann: “Needed are
direct talks between high echelons of
Taliban leadership and the US State
Department. It should take about a month to
set the stage. Only the USA should be
involved with Pakistan as a facilitator. A
peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan
automatically provides strength and depth to
Pakistan. However, larger than life presence
of India in that country would neither be
natural nor acceptable both to Pakistan and
the future government of Afghanistan.” |
No other Pakistani General is so often described
as “controversial” as LtGen (Ret.)
Hamid Gul, from 1987 to 1989 the
Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI), the premier Pakistani secret service. During
those last years of the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan he cooperated closely with the CIA and
together they supported the Mujahideen including
Osama bin Laden who has now been killed in the
heartland of Pakistan where this most-wanted
terrorist lived in comfort embedded in a secret
infrastructure within Pakistan.
Some say Hamid Gul is dangerous. This included US
Secretary of State Rice. Pakistani President Asif
Ali Zardari has described former ISI Chief Lt. Gen.
Hamid Gul as "more of a political ideologue of
terror rather than a physical supporter" in an
interview with Newsweek in December 2008. Replying
to a question whether US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice had asked him to arrest Gen. Gul,
he said, "Hamid Gul is an actor who is definitely
not in our good books. Hamid Gul is somebody who was
never appreciated by our government. She [Rice] did
not go into specifics, if I may share that with
you." (see "Zardari
calls Hamid Gul political ideologue of terror rather
than a physical supporter" The Nation. December
15, 2008).
The Washington Post reported on July 28, 2010 about Wikileaks reports
which portray Hamid Gul as the public face of an
underground Pakistani network to push the US out of
Afghanistan (see
Washington Post: The Audacity of Hamid Gul). Gul
explained to The Wall Street Journal. “I am not
against America, but I am opposed to what the
American forces are doing in Afghanistan.”
My impression is that he endorses a traditional way of thinking from the
1980's when he supported the Taliban movement in the
national interest of Pakistan to control the Western neighbor Afghanistan while similarly avoiding his
homeland being sandwiched by arch-enemy India. His
own perception comes close to that of a true
nationalist. I disagree with many things he says,
but perceive him as a man worth listening to as he
is not alone with his thinking in Pakistan.
After meetings with U.S. generals
David Petraeus and David Rodriguez (see
U.S. General David Petraeus Commander ISAF about
Progree in Afghanistan and
Afghanistan: Why the UN via ISAF will win),
several German ISAF generals and generals from the
Afghan National Army (see
Progress in Afghanistan: Two German Generals analyse
and
Afghanistan: Germans at the Front), it is most
interesting to learn more about the thinking of this
school of thought - if we like it or not. It is
notably different from the ideas of former ISI
Director and Pakistani Chief of Staff
Gen. ret Ehsan ul Haq in his latest WSN
interview some weeks ago (see
Former Pakistani Chief of Staff and ISI Director
Gen. Ehsan ul Haq on Afghanistan and Pakistan).
The Taliban just announced a new spring offensive
which ISAF has been expecting for several months.
Hubertus Hoffmann: General, how strong are the
Taliban now and how much support do they have in
Afghanistan in light of the recently announced
spring offensive?
Hamid Gul: Taliban have grown from
strength to strength over the years from the failure
of operation Anaconda in 2003 to the fiasco of
operation Mushtarik at Marja in Helmand province.
They have become more confident and their ranks have
swelled to around 50,000 fighting men. Now that they
are sensing victory their morale is extremely high.
Increasingly the Afghan population is turning to
them as an alternative to Karzai's corrupt and
incompetent administration.
Hubertus Hoffmann: ISAF is
on the offence with stronger Afghan Security Forces
and have conceded territory from the insurgents. Is ISAF winning?
Hamid Gul: This is an incorrect
impression. The resistance does not offer pitched
battles or positional defense. They prefer hit and
run type of engagements.
Hubertus Hoffmann: When should negotiations with the
Taliban start? Now or later?
Hamid Gul: Its already late. The
matters will get worse if there is dithering by the
US and NATO policy makers.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Where? How long?
Hamid Gul: Should be direct between
high echelons of Taliban leadership and the US state
department. Should take about a month to set the
stage.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Who must be
involved? UN? Saudi Arabia? USA?
Hamid Gul: Only USA.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Which role do you see for
Pakistan?
Hamid Gul: Facilitator and no more.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Does Pakistan still need
‘strategic depth’ to defend against India?
Hamid Gul: This is only a myth. A
peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan
automatically provides strength and depth to
Pakistan. However, larger than life presence of
India in that country would neither be natural nor
acceptable both to Pakistan and the future
government of Afghanistan.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Will the
alliance of the Taliban and Pakistan be renewed?
Hamid Gul: The future government of
Afghanistan need not necessarily be exclusively
Taliban. Pakistan will have to deal with whoever is
in command in Kabul.
Hubertus Hoffmann: What do the
Taliban want? The same as in 2001 before 9/11 or a
modern Afghanistan? Or a Turkish model?
Mohammad Gul: The Afghan nation
will evolve their own model and should be allowed to
do so. The Taliban have reformed substantially as
compared to their earlier conduct in governance.
Hubertus Hoffmann: What about the women rights? Will
they agree to treat all women like the Prophet did
with his wives and daughters, very gentle and kind
and not suppressive? Will women be able to work as
governors, doctors, or officers?
Hamid Gul: The question of women
rights can easily be resolved in the light of the
Islamic Shariah. It will take a while before they
can be in equal positions due to the orthodox nature
of that society. Yet, I see no difficulty for them
to become doctors, teachers and working women in
other vocations.
Hubertus Hoffmann: And
education, including girls?
Hamid Gul: No problem at all. The Shariah does not discriminate.
Hubertus Hoffmann: And free media? And one million
internet-users?
Hamid Gul: Taliban themselves are
using the internet.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Will the Taliban respect the
Constitution of Afghanistan?
Hamid Gul: Nobody in Afghanistan
barring the vested interest has any love for this
constitution. They will rally around Shariah which
derives its inspiration from Quran and Sunnah.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Isn’t the Taliban concept
outdated like coming from the stone-age if you look
what the Facebook children in Egypt or Tunisia are
demanding?
Hamid Gul: Mujahideen of
Afghanistan are fighting for faith and freedom from
foreign aggression which is not the case in Egypt
and Tunisia and both these causes are rooted in the
principles of Islam. They are as fresh and relevant
today as they were 1,400 years ago. Only the new
interfaces of contemporary times have to be explored
and utilised.
Hubertus Hoffmann: What kind of Sharia is it?
Killing innocent citizens is illegal under Sharia
law and jihad rules - why bomb attacks who kill
civilians? Aren’t people who kill civilians in the
name of Allah ‘unbelievers’ in the sense of the
Koran, should be excluded from the Ummah and
punished according to Sharia as they offend the
Koran and the Prophet? Is this not blasphemy?
Hamid Gul: That is why it is so
important to invoke Shariah to get rid of the menace
of terror practitioners who misuse the name of
Islam. The ills of a Muslim society can be rectified
by more and not less Islam.
Hubertus Hoffmann: Will the
Taliban agree to treat all enemies like the Prophet
did when he conquered Mecca in 630 CE - killing
nobody and respect the existing order?
Hamid Gul: That depends on the nature of agreement
between the US and Afghan resistance.
Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann
President and Founder
World Security Network Foundation

World Security Network reporting from
Brussels in Belgium,
April 27, 2011
Dear Cavkic Salih,
After WW I and the demise of the Osman Empire the
European powers France and United Kingdom redesigned the “Middle
East” disregarding ethic-religious, historic and cultural factors.
On the drawing-board they created new states like Jordan, Iraq and
Syria with new artificial boundaries.
They “forgot” to create one state: Kurdistan - as the homeland for
then about 30-40 million Kurds.
This new design triggered multifaceted tensions and conflicts
between and within the states in the Middle East until today.
Most of the current conflicts in North Africa and the Gulf region
have their origin in the aftermath of WW I.
The Kurds have been a renowned high-culture nation in the Middle
East.
Without a homeland about 40 million Kurds live mainly as minorities
in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey and they have been fighting for
human rights and autonomy for about 90 years.
More than one million Kurds fled the conflicts to Scandinavia and
Central Europe. It is less known that about 800 000 Kurds live in
Germany.
BrigGen(ret) Dieter Farwick, Senior
Vice President of WSN, got the
chance to interview exclusively two high ranking Kurds in Brussels,
Belgium. His interview partners were
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi,
President of the “Party of Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)”, and
Zubeyir
Aydar,
Member of the Executive Council of “The Kurdistan Communities Union
(KCK)”. The discussion centered about a broad spectrum of topics
ranging from human rights, protection of Kurdish minorities,
ethnic-religious issues to questions regarding the future status of
“Kurdistan”, the situation in Turkey, Iran and Iraq well as the
question of the use or non-use of violence.
Dieter Farwick: What was the situation of the Kurds in
Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein? How many Kurds lost their
lives? Could you safeguard a kind of autonomy for your people? Was
the no-fly zone helpful?
Rahmann Haji – Ahmadi: As a dreadful dictator
Saddam was extremely harmful for the Iraqi people particularly to
the Kurds. During Saddam’s era hundreds of thousands of Kurds were
killed and over 2500 Kurdish villages and towns were destroyed.
182,000 people were killed in an operation known as “Anfal”; so far
130 mass graves have been found where the bodies of thousands of
people were hidden. After Nagasaki in Japan, the chemical
bombardment of Halabja was the second most catastrophic in the
history. Without the American/Western support and the establishment
of a no-fly zone, it seemed so difficult for the Kurds to achieve
what they have now.
Dieter Farwick: How many of the 40 million Kurds live
today in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey? In the past, life for Kurds
was worst in Turkey. Obviously there have been some modest positive
developments. In which country the situation today is the worst for
Kurds?
Zubeyir Aydar: Approximately half of the 40 million
Kurds live in today’s official Turkey, the other half live
respectively in Iran, Iraq and Syria. In a big part of the territory
of the former Soviet Union, for example in Russia, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, KaZubeyir Aydarkhstan, Turkmenistan,
Kirgizistan, there is a Kurdish population. In the last 30 years the
Kurdish political emigration has been mainly oriented to Europe.
Around 1 million Kurds live in Europe, among them more than 800 000
in Germany.
While the Kurds in Kurdistan Region (Iraq) are ruling themselves,
the Kurds in Syria and Iran are in the worst situation. The people
face very difficult conditions in these countries. Some hundred
thousand Kurds in Syria still dont have ID cards and citizenship. In
Iran the repressions and the executions of Kurds are systematic.
The situation in Turkey used to be the most severe. In the last 30
years the Kurds lead a very determined struggle for freedom and they
obtained results. Turkey realised that it cannot overcome its
problems using its old political methods of pressure, violence,
denial and destruction. There is also the influence of the relations
between Turkey and the European Union. All these factors have been
pushing Turkey to make some changes and undertake some positive
steps. However, these steps are too small and far from resolving the
problem. At the present moment, the law still doesn’t recognize the
most basic human rights of the Kurds, including language and
culture, and the Kurdish children can not learn their mother
language at school. At the same time, while visiting Germany Turkish
Prime Minister Erdogan criticised the German immigration policy
towards the Turks, saying that “assimilation is a crime against
humanity”, even though the most severe assimilation is taking place
in his own country.
The problems we face in Turkey are continuing, but at the same time
we also have a dialogue with the Turkish authorities. It is too
early for a concrete solution, but the negotiations are continuing.
The Kurdish side is ready to negotiate at all levels, because our
aim is to solve the problem by peaceful means. However, the Turkish
side is trying to make the process difficult for us by prolonging
the negotiation process and avoiding the main problems. Over 2000
Kurdish politicians have been arrested in the last two years and
military operations against Kurds have been continuing.
Dieter Farwick: The Kurdish region in Iraq seems to be
an island of stability and economic progress based upon oil and gas.
Are the Kurds happy with their current situation in Iraq? Do they
feel sufficiently represented in Baghdad?
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi:
Having agreed on federalism and a multi-party system as well as free
elections and decentralisation of power in Iraq was helpful for
democratisation of this country; it was also in the interest of the
Middle Eastern and the Iraqi people. If Iraq’s neighbours do not
interfere in the domestic affairs of this country, Iraq can take the
direction toward democracy. Shiite and Sunni Arabs with the Kurds
can join a government in Baghdad; Iraq could become a model for the
region.
Dieter Farwick: Fundamental and extreme Islamism is a
threat to the whole world. The Kurds are Moslems, too. What is your
view of the Islamic danger in the Middle East and in Europe? How do
you see the role of religion in a state and in society?
 |
Zubeyir Aydar: "My only wish is to go to a free
Kurdistan in dignity." |
Zubeyir Aydar: This is an
important question and we have experienced this problem in our
country Kurdistan. The majority of the Kurds are Muslims, but the
Kurdish movements and organisations generally are secular. The
countries oppressing the Kurds are using the Islamic groups and
movements against us. In Kurdistan part of Turkey and in Kurdistan
Region in Iraq more than one thousand Kurdish secular politicians
and patriots have been killed by Islamic organisations, as Turkish Hezbullah and Ansar-Al-Islam (Al Qaida).
In collaboration with Iran in the 90’s, Turkey founded an
organisation under the name of Hezbollah. This organisation was used
against the Kurdish struggle for freedom. Working with the Special
Warfare Department (Turkish Gladio), they executed around one
thousand Kurdish patriots in the streets. The intersection area of
the borders of Turkey, Iran and Iraq (central Kurdistan) is a
mountain range (Zubeyir Aydargros Mountains). Currently this region
is under the control of the Kurdistan Democratic Confederation (KCK)
and PJAK guerrillas. Turkey and Iran are almost continuously
organising attacks in this region. On November 5, 2007 after the
Bush-Erdogan meeting, Turkey, with American support, conducted many
operations in this mountain region controlled by the KCK and PJAK
guerrillas. Despite all the attacks, Turkey and Iran are unable to
control this region. Hence, they tried to infiltrate the area by the
use of Islamic groups such as Ansar-Al-Islam and Al Qaida. However,
these attempts were not successful. Its very clear that if we did
not have control over that very difficult area, Islamic groups,
especially Al Qaeda, would have settled there and the region would
be more dangerous than the Tora-Bora region in Afghanistan.
We are not in favour of mixing religion with state affairs. Everyone
should have the freedom of religion and conscience, but religion
must not be an instrument in politics. We do not endorse the
development of radical Islamic organisations like Al Qaeda,
Hezbollah and Hamas; we see that ideology as a danger to the
society.
If the Kurdish problem is resolved in a peaceful manner, it would
offer a major contribution to the democratisation of the Middle East
and it would put an end to the radical movements in the region.
Otherwise, if the Kurdish Freedom Movement is liquidated, radical
Islamic groups will develop in Kurdistan. This will lead to a
negative outcome for all.
Dieter Farwick: What kind of future do you want for your
country? Do you have still the dream of a united Kurdistan on your
own territory? Or do
you accept the present divide into four
countries? Could you live with improved living conditions of your
people in the four countries – in a kind of cultural unity? What
status do you aim at for the Kurdish region in Iraq?
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi: I wish to see a
secular and democratic country where men and women have equal rights
in every aspect of their lives, the rights of ethnic and religious
groups are upheld and protected. We want the Kurds in their
respective countries of residence to have all the political, social,
cultural, religious, and economic rights, which are enjoyed by the
dominant nations (Fars, Arab, Turks), no less and no more than what
the Fars, Arabs and the Turks have. Such a form of co-existence of
nations is evident in various places, for example in Canada, South
Africa, Switzerland, Belgium, Britain, Spain etc. If the conditions
for a decent life for the Kurds are met in those countries, I
believe the establishment of an united [independent] Kurdistan is
not necessary. Otherwise, the Kurds do have the right of
self-determination at its disposal. We believe that the Democratic
Confederation System is the best option for those countries in which
the Kurds live, for it permits the multiplicity of national and
cultural identity.
Dieter Farwick: As a Christ I am very interested in the
fate of Christians in the Kurdish region. IMiddle
East/Mesopotamia/Kurdistan. Unfortunately, very significant
massacres took place in that area at the beginning of the last
century. During the First World War the Ottoman Turks conducted
Genocide against the Armenians, the Assyrians, the Greeks and the Yezidis. All the non-Muslim population in the Ottoman Empire has
been killed or deported according the Turkish plans with the help of
different Muslim groups, including some Kurdish clans, which have
been also used against the Kurds as well.
For all religious minorities, including Christians, the Middle East
is still not a safe place and the pressures continue. A safe and
stable Kurdistan will be also a safe haven for Christians and for
all religious minorities. More than 60 000 Christians have been
fleeing from the terror and the violence in many parts of Iraq into
the relative safety of the Federal Region of Kurdistan. It is our
obligation as Kurds to protect the Christians in the Middle East so
they can live in their own land.
Dieter Farwick:
Let’s talk about the image of the Kurds
in Central Europe. To be frank to you: Many Europeans regard the
Kurds using violence in order to achieve their aims. Many Europeans
have still in mind images of violent demonstrations in European
cities and on motorways. This perception is counterproductive to a
better integration of the Kurds. Is violence for you still a tool to
achieve your aims and objectives? Is there a different approach in
Europe and the Middle East? What is your relationship with the PKK?
 |
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi: "Iraq could become a model for the
region." |
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi:
Obviously, I would not say that the Kurds had not made mistakes in
the past, but I can not say that these mistakes were made in a
one-way manner, and that only the Kurds did mistakes. A question
raises here: Kurds live in all parts of Europe and in relation to
the population of host countries in the equal proportions as in
Germany. Why should violence only occur in German cities and
motorways? Kurdish people are of the opinion that such an image
upheld in certain European countries is an untruth and illegitimate
image: 1). It has been carved to serve the economic interests in
relation to Turkey and Iran; 2). It has been carved under the
diplomatic pressure of Turkey. It is a political, untruthful, and
illegitimate perception against the Kurdish nation. To prove such an
assertion, in 2008 the European Court decided to remove the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from the European terror list, since
the organisation has not engaged in violence for a long period of
time. However, the European Commission put it on the terror list
again. The Kurdish nation hopes that European countries,
particularly Germany will reassess their policies in relation to the
Kurds and help to solve the Kurdish issue through the use of
dialogue and peace which would certainly be in the interest of
Germany, too. Our relation with the PKK: We are two Kurdish parties
and we are brothers, for instance, in the European countries, what
sort of relations do Social Christian Parties, Social Democrats,
Liberals, the Lefts and the Greens? We have a similar relation with
the PKK.
Dieter Farwick: I was told that you are aware of plans
to kill both of you and a third Kurdish high-ranking politician.
What is the motivation behind those plans? What do you know about
those plans? Who is the mastermind behind those plans? Where should
those plans been executed? Do you get support from the European
side?
Zubeyir Aydar: As we know, the Iranian regime has
assassinated many opposition politicians abroad, including Iranian
Kurdish leaders in Vienna and Berlin. In September 2010 we received
news of an assassination plot against the three of us (Mr. Haji
Ahmadi, the Chairmen of PJAK, Mr. Remzi Kartal, Chairmen of KONGRA-GEL
and myself) with Iranian links and Turkish support from a European
source. At first we did not take it very seriously. But within less
than a month, we received for second time the same information from
a high-level source inside the Iranian system. This made us more
worried, because our Iranian source is trusted and has been tested
earlier. According to both sets of information an Iranian killing
team was holding Turkish passports and ID cards. We reported this
information to the Belgian authorities via our lawyers and contacts.
The Belgian authorities took it seriously and took precautions;
similar measures were also taken in Germany for Mr. Haji Ahmedi
(German citizen).
Iran has not updated important information about our movements in
Europe. But the Iranian regime is supplied with information by the
Turkish authorities, because they have a common enemy – the Kurds,
and especially KCK and PJAK. I am sure that in the last years U.S.
and EU Intelligence services, cooperating closely with Turkey, have
understood how the information they are forwarding to Turkey, has
been received by their own enemy, namely the Iranian regime.
Dieter Farwick: The Kurdish region is in the middle of a
very fragile environment. Which countries try to influence the
future development in your area and in Iraq as a whole? In which
way?
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi: That is true; the
Kurdistan region in Iraq is in a fragile situation. All the
neighbouring countries try to make it unstable. The antagonism of
Turkey and its vice policies toward the Kurdish people have provided
Iran with opportunities to successively increase her influences over
Iran in general and the Kurdish region in particular; currently we
could say that Iran governs Iraq. This is the major threat for the
future of the Middle East. Provided the Kurdish issue is solved in
Turkey, the Iranian impact and influence would decrease in Iraq, and
Iraq would, to some extent, be saved from the threats of the Iranian
direct interference and it could also take a significant role in the
reconciliation and the stabilisation of the Middle East.
Dieter Farwick: What are the main obstacles to improve
the living conditions of the Kurds in the Middle East? How can
ordinary people benefit from the revenues of oil and gas exports? Is
the partition of Iraq into three parts still an option? Could the
Kurdish region sustain a status of independence?
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi: Failure to recognise
the rights of the Kurdish people, failure to solve the Kurdish
issue, and the war of denial and annihilation of the Kurds directed
by Iran, Turkey and Syria are the main obstacles to the growth and
development in Kurdistan. If the Kurdish question is solved in
Turkey, Kurdistan’s oil and gas would, to a significant extent, meet
the energy needs of Western countries. At the same time it would be
a considerable source of national income that would enable the Kurds
to reconstruct their country, upon which war has been imposed for
decades. Thousands of villages have been destroyed and no sign of
economic remnants can be seen. We need peace to reconstruct
Kurdistan and provide the Kurdish people with a humanistic live. As
long as democracy is not solidified in Iraq and the nations of this
country are not able to find a mechanism for coexistence. It is
evident that the interest of the Western powers in the region is one
of the major factors. Independence of the Kurdistan Region without
the support of the West would seem very difficult.
Dieter Farwick: What are reasons of hope for a better
future of your people in the Middle East? What more should Europe
and the United States do to support your movement? What could be
done better to improve the integration – not assimilation – of Kurds
in Central Europe and Scandinavia?
Zubeyir Aydar: The latest developments in our
struggle and the strength of our people give us hope for success and
a better future. We paid our price, we believe we will succeed. The
United States and Europe approach the Kurdish question with a
framework that will favour their national interests. Their approach
is pragmatic and they have double standards. They turned a blind eye
when Saddam was committing massacres as they have good business
relations with the regime. When these relations ended after the
degradation, they declared the Iraqi Kurds “good” and the Turkish
Kurds “bad”. This is when you encounter double standards. There are
Kurds on both sides of the border and in many instances they have
close relatives on the other side. The Kurd that was the freedom
fighter against Saddam’s regime became the good Kurd, but the Kurd
across the border struggling against Turkey became a terrorist and a
bad Kurd. These are double standards. Our expectation is that they
give up the double standards and support the justified struggle for
freedom of the Kurdish people and support a peaceful solution.
Dieter Farwick: If you had three wishes free? What would
you ask for?
Zubeyir Aydar: I’ve been living in exile for 17
years. What could an exiled person wish whose country is banned? My
only wish is to go to a free Kurdistan with dignity.
Rahman Haji-Ahmadi: My three wishes look
more like dreams than wishes: 1). A world with no racial
discrimination and religious fundamentalism. 2). A world, in which
all the oppressed nations achieve their rights. 3). All the ethnic
and religious groups regardless of where they live, be secured with
their political, social, cultural and religious rights.
Dieter Farwick
Senior Vice President
World Security Network Foundation
BrigGen (ret.)
Former Force Commander and Chief Operations at NATO HQ
World Security Network reporting from
Potsdam in Germany and Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, April 06, 2011
Dear Cavkic Salih,
 |
RC North in Mazar-e-Sharif February 24, 2011.
From left to right: U.S. Lieutenant General David Rodriguez
(Commander of ISAF Joint Command), departing RC North
Commander Major General Hans-Werner Fritz, Lieutenant
General Rainer Glatz (Commander German Forces Command
Potsdam), and new RC North Commander Major General Markus Kneip. |
Lieutenant General Rainer Glatz, Commander of the Bundeswehr Operations Command in Potsdam since April 22, 2009, is
responsible for all German forces operations outside Germany and the
highest commander of the 5.000 Germans fighting within ISAF in
Afghanistan.
For the last ten years he has been involved in the military
situation at the Hindukush, from 2002 to 2006 as the Commander of
the Special Operations Division in Regensburg and from 2006 to 2009
as Deputy Commander Bundeswehr Operations Command.
He is the German general with the most experience in Afghanistan.
The World Security Network Foundation asked him about the
involvement of the German forces and progress in Afghanistan in his
headquarters in Potsdam near Berlin.
Major General Hans-Werner Fritz commanded the Regional Command North
of ISAF in Mazar-e-Sharif with 10.000 soldiers from 17 nations until
February 24, 2010.
The World Security Network met him in his headquarters in Camp Marmal and asked him about progress in Northern Afghanistan.
Both German generals provide a good
inside view of the progress of ISAF in Afghanistan and the tasks
ahead.
They are 'cautiously optimistic' and see 2011 as the 'year of
decision' in Afghanistan due to the promising progress achieved by ISAF and the Afghan National Forces with their new strategy during
the last couple of months.
Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann
President and Founder
World Security Network Foundation
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Maasmechelen Village

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