    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [September 29, 2006]
    [Pages 1721-1729]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Reserve Officers Association
    September 29, 2006

        Thanks, Captain Smith, for your kind
    introduction. Thank you all for being here, and thank you for the warm
    welcome. I am honored to stand with the men and women of the Reserve
    Officers Association. For more than 80 years, this organization has
    stood up for America and its citizen soldiers, and I appreciate your
    contribution

    [[Page 1722]]

    to our country. We're safer because you stand ready to put on the
    uniform. I am grateful for your service, and I am proud to be your
    Commander in Chief.
        I want to speak to you today about the struggle between moderation
    and extremism that is unfolding across the broader Middle East. At this
    moment, terrorists and extremists are fighting to overthrow moderate
    governments in the region so they can take control of countries and use
    them as bases from which to attack America and from which to impose
    their hateful ideology. This is the challenge of our time. This is the
    call of a generation, to stand against the extremists and support
    moderate leaders across the broader Middle East, to help us all secure a
    future of peace.
        This week in Washington, I met with two courageous leaders who are
    working for peace, President Karzai of
    Afghanistan and President Musharraf of
    Pakistan. These leaders understand the stakes in the struggle, in the
    ideological struggle of the 21st century. They understand the stakes
    from a personal perspective as well, since the extremists have tried to
    assassinate them. They are courageous people. They have seen the
    destruction that terrorists have caused in their own country, and they
    know this: That the only way to stop them is to work together and to
    stay on the offense. By standing with brave leaders like these, we are
    defending civilization itself and we're building a more peaceful world
    for our children and grandchildren.
        I appreciate very much the Ambassador from Afghanistan, Ambassador
    Jawad, and Ambassador Durrani from Pakistan for joining us here today. Thank you
    all for coming. I appreciate members of my administration who have
    joined us. I appreciate people wearing the uniform who have joined us. I
    appreciate those from Walter Reed who have joined us and from Bethesda.
    I thank you for your sacrifice.
        I also want to thank those from Walter Reed who are--and Bethesda
    who are giving you the help you need to recover from your wounds. It
    gives me great comfort to be able to tell the loved ones of those who
    wear our uniform that if you get hurt, you will receive first-class,
    compassionate care from the United States military. And so to the
    healers who are here, thank you for doing your duty and providing these
    brave folks the help they need to recover.
        Earlier this month, our Nation marked the fifth anniversary of the
    September the 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks. We paused on that day to
    remember the innocent people who were killed that day. We paused to
    remember the rescue workers who rushed into burning towers to save
    lives. After 9/11, I stood in the well of the House of Representatives
    and declared that every nation, in every region, had a decision to make:
    Either you were with us, or you stood with the terrorists. Two nations,
    Afghanistan and Pakistan, made very different decisions with very
    different results.
        Five years ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the brutal Taliban regime.
    Under the Taliban and Al Qaida, Afghanistan was a land where women were
    imprisoned in their own homes, where men were beaten for missing prayer
    meetings, where girls couldn't even go to school. What a hopeless
    society that was, under the rule of these hateful men. Afghanistan was
    the home to terrorist training camps. Under Al Qaida and the Taliban,
    Afghanistan was a terrorist safe haven. It was a launching pad for the
    horrific attacks that killed innocent people in New York City on
    September the 11th, 2001.
        After 9/11, America gave the leaders of the Taliban a choice. We
    told them that they must turn over all of the leaders of Al Qaida hiding
    in their land. We told them they must close every terrorist training
    camp and hand over every terrorist to appropriate authorities. We told
    them they must give the United States full access to the terrorist
    training camps so they could make sure they were no longer operating. We
    told them these demands were not up

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    for negotiation, and that if they did not comply immediately and hand
    over the terrorists, they would share in the same fate as the
    terrorists.
        I felt these were reasonable demands. The Taliban regime chose
    unwisely, so within weeks after the 9/11 attacks, our coalition launched
    Operation Enduring Freedom. By December 2001, the Taliban regime had
    been removed from power, hundreds of Taliban and Al Qaida fighters had
    been captured or killed, and the terrorist camps where the enemy had
    planned the 9/11 attacks were shut down. We did what we said we were
    going to do. We made our intentions clear. We gave the Taliban a chance
    to make the right decision. They made the wrong decision, and we
    liberated Afghanistan.
        The liberation of Afghanistan was a great achievement, and for those
    of you who served in that effort, thank you. I thank you on behalf of
    America, and the Afghan people thank you. But we knew that it was only
    the beginning of our mission in Afghanistan. See, the liberation was
    only the start of an important mission to make this world a more
    peaceful place. We learned the lesson of the 1980s, when the United
    States had helped the Afghan people drive the Soviet Red army from Kabul
    and then decided our work was finished and left the Afghans to fend for
    themselves.
        The Taliban came to power and provided a sanctuary for bin Laden and Al Qaida, and we paid the price when the
    terrorists struck our Nation and killed nearly 3,000 people in our
    midst. So after liberating Afghanistan, we began the difficult work of
    helping the Afghan people rebuild their country and establish a free
    nation on the rubble of the Taliban's tyranny.
        With the help of the United Nations and coalition countries, Afghan
    leaders chose an interim Government. They wrote and approved a
    democratic Constitution. They held elections to choose a new President,
    and they elected leaders to represent them in a new parliament. In those
    parliamentary elections, more than 6 million Afghans defied terrorist
    threats and cast their ballots. They made it clear they wanted to live
    in a free society. As I travel around the country, I tell people that
    I'm not surprised when people say, ``I want to live in liberty.'' I
    believe liberty is universal. I believe deep within the soul of every
    man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth is a desire to live in
    freedom. And when we free people, we not only do our duty to ourselves,
    but we help the rise of decent human beings.
        As Afghans have braved the terrorists and claimed their freedom,
    we've helped them, and we will continue to help them. It's in our
    interests that we help this young democracy survive and grow strong. We
    helped them build security forces they need to defend their democratic
    gains. In the past 5 years, our coalition has trained and equipped more
    than 30,000 soldiers in the Afghan National Army, and at this moment,
    several thousand more are in training at a Kabul Military Training
    Center. These Afghan soldiers are on the frontlines with coalition
    troops. Some have suffered terrible wounds in battle; others have given
    their lives in the fight against the terrorists. Afghans in uniform are
    determined to protect their nation and fight our common enemies, and
    we're proud to fight alongside such brave allies.
        Our coalition has also trained about 46,000 members of the Afghan
    National Police. The training of the Afghan police has not gone as
    smoothly as that of the army. The police have faced problems with
    corruption and substandard leadership, and we've made our concerns known
    to our friends in the Afghan Government. When we see a problem, we
    adjust; we change. And so this year President Karzai's Government announced a new team to lead the National
    Police. As the police become more capable and better led and more
    disciplined, they will gain legitimacy and they will earn the respect of
    the Afghan people.

    [[Page 1724]]

        Listen, the Afghan people want to live in a peaceful world. It's
    important for the American citizens to understand, an Afghan mother
    wants the same thing for her child that our mothers want for our
    children: the chance to grow up and realize dreams; the chance to live
    in peace. And it's important for the Afghan Government to provide the
    kind of security so the citizens have trust that their Government can
    enable the peace to evolve in that strife-ridden part of the world.
        The army and police are good fighters. At this moment, more than
    21,000 American troops and more than 20,000 personnel from 40 countries
    are deployed in Afghanistan. In the summer of 2003, NATO took over the
    International Security Assistance Force--it's called ISAF--in
    Afghanistan, NATO's first mission outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Other
    nations besides the United States understand the importance of helping
    this young democracy survive and thrive and grow.
        Since then, NATO has expanded ISAF from a small force that was
    operating only in Kabul into a robust force that has taken
    responsibility for security in nearly 60 percent of the country. And
    this week, NATO announced that it would take over security operations in
    all of Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Under the plan, the U.S. will
    transfer 12,000 of our troops that are now serving in the country to the
    NATO force, while the rest will remain under coalition command and
    continue antiterrorist operations across the country.
        We saw the effectiveness of NATO forces this summer when NATO took
    responsibility from the United States for security operations in
    southern Afghanistan. The Taliban saw the transfer of the region from
    the United States to NATO control as a window of opportunity. They saw
    it as an opportunity to test the will of nations other than the United
    States. See, they've been testing our will. And they understand it's
    strong, and they need to understand it will remain strong.
        So the Taliban massed an estimated 800 to 900 fighters near Kandahar
    to face the NATO force head on, and that was a mistake. Earlier this
    month, NATO launched Operation Medusa. Together with the Afghan National
    Army, troops from Canada and Denmark and the Netherlands and Britain and
    the United States engaged the enemy, with operational support from
    Romanian and Portuguese and Estonian Forces. According to NATO
    Commanders, NATO forces killed hundreds of Taliban fighters. NATO's
    Supreme Allied Commander, General Jones, a
    United States Marine, says this about the NATO operation in southern
    Afghanistan: ``The Taliban decided to make a test case of this region,
    and they paid a very heavy price for it. The operation sent a signal to
    the insurgents that NATO forces would not back down.'' The operation
    also sent a clear message to the Afghan people, that NATO is standing
    with you.
        I appreciate the courage of the NATO forces. I appreciate the
    governments of our allies in NATO understanding the importance of
    helping the Afghan people achieve their dream, and that is a stable
    country. The people from NATO must understand that they're helping a
    young democracy defend itself and protect its people. And in so doing,
    they're helping to lay the foundation of peace in the ideological
    struggle of the 21st century.
        The NATO deployment has begun to bring security and reconstruction
    to a region that had previously had little and has allowed the United
    States and Afghan forces to stay on the offense. And so we launched
    another major offensive in the east called Operation Mountain Fury. The
    operation is ongoing. It's aimed at clearing out enemy safe havens in
    five Afghan Provinces, including three Provinces bordering Pakistan. The
    operation is being led by about 4,000 Afghan forces and supported by
    about 3,000 of our finest. And Afghan and coalition forces clear out the
    enemy--then we will follow up with reconstruction

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    assistance--so we can improve the quality of life for local Afghans and
    help extend the authority of the central Government to distant areas of
    the country.
        See, the enemy understands what we're doing, and they don't like it.
    That's why they're reacting the way they're reacting. They understand
    that the arrival of Afghan and coalition forces in the region means that
    the Government is beginning to win the hearts of the people. In many of
    these regions, the Taliban and Al Qaida fighters and drug traffickers
    and criminal elements have had--enjoyed free reign. There hasn't been
    any countervailing force to their presence. And you can imagine how that
    makes innocent people feel, you know, when you've got these killers in
    your midst. It creates an atmosphere of fear. As a matter of fact,
    people like Al Qaida, whose ideology is hateful, have got one major tool
    at their disposal. They kill innocent life to create fear. And what a
    contrast it is to the United States of America and coalition partners
    and decent Afghans who believe in hope.
        These haters of humanity know that when the Government in Kabul can
    reach out and improve the lives of local Afghans in distant parts of the
    country, the population will gain confidence in Afghanistan's democracy.
    That's part of the struggle, this ideological struggle we're engaged in.
    And so they are going to try to do everything they can to stop the
    progress. And they'll fight Afghan and coalition forces, and that's what
    you're seeing today.
        But they do more than just fight our forces. They destroy schools,
    and they destroy clinics. They do everything in their power to
    intimidate local folks. The enemies of a free Afghanistan are brutal,
    and they're determined, and we're not going to let them succeed. NATO
    and coalition and Afghan forces will continue to fight the enemy. We
    will stay on the offense, and we're going to help this Government of
    President Karzai bring a better life to his
    people.
        In order to bring a better life to the Afghan people, our coalition
    and NATO forces have deployed 23 Provincial Reconstruction Teams across
    Afghanistan. These teams are important because we're talking about a
    country that has been torn apart because of war over the years. The
    teams are led by Sweden and Norway and Germany and Hungary and Italy and
    Spain and Lithuania and Canada and Britain and the Netherlands and the
    United States. And these teams are bringing security and reconstruction
    assistance to distant regions of the country. And to link the distant
    regions to the capital, we've got a strategy--it's called building
    roads. This is a country that is in dire need for transportation. And
    since the liberation of Afghanistan, we've provided more than $4.5
    billion for reconstruction throughout the country. We're helping with
    electricity and irrigation and water and sanitation and other
    necessities.
        Our coalition is working with President Karzai to strengthen the institutions of Afghans--
    Afghanistan's young democracy. We understand that the institutions must
    be strengthened and reformed for democracy to survive. And one of the
    areas most in need of reform is the nation's legal system. Recently
    President Karzai took important steps to strengthen the rule of law when
    he appointed a new Attorney General and
    judges to serve on Afghanistan's Supreme Court. Our coalition is helping
    his Government institutionalize these changes. Italy, for example, is
    helping to train Afghan judges and prosecutors and public defenders and
    court administrators so all Afghans can receive equal justice under the
    law.
        And from the beginning, our actions in Afghanistan have had a clear
    purpose--in other words, our goals are clear for people to understand--
    and that is to rid the country of the Taliban and the terrorists and
    build a lasting free society that will be an ally in the war on terror.
    And from the beginning, the American people have heard the critics say
    we're failing, but their reasons keep changing. In the first days of

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    Operation Enduring Freedom, the critics warned that we were headed
    toward a quagmire. And then when the Taliban fell and operations began
    in Iraq, the critics held up the multinational coalition in Afghanistan
    as a model and said it showed that everything we were doing in Iraq was
    wrong. And now some of the critics who praised the multinational
    coalition we built in Afghanistan claim that the country is in danger of
    failing because we don't have enough American troops there.
        Look, in order to win war, in order to win the ideological struggle
    of the 21st century, it is important for this country to have a clear
    strategy and change tactics to meet the conditions on the ground, not
    try to constantly respond to the critics who change their positions. And
    so I listen to the advice of those who matter in Afghanistan, and that
    is President Karzai and our commanders. We will
    continue to help Afghanistan's Government defeat our common enemies.
        I've constantly told the American people, we must defeat the enemy
    overseas so we do not have to face them here at home. I will continue to
    remind the American people that is--you deal with threats before they
    materialize. In this war that we're in, it is too late to respond to a
    threat after the--after we've been attacked. I'm not going to forget the
    lessons of September the 11th, 2001, and I know you won't either. We
    must take threats seriously now in order to protect the American people.
        So we're going to help the people of Afghanistan, and we're going to
    help them build a free nation. We're going to help them be a successful
    part of defeating an ideology of hate with an ideology of hope. And
    think what that will mean for reformers and moderate people in a region
    that has been full of turmoil. Imagine the effect it will have when they
    see a thriving democracy in their midst.
        No, this ideological struggle of the 21st century will require tough
    military action, good intelligence. It will require the United States to
    give our folks on the frontline of terror the tools necessary to protect
    us, including listening to phone calls from Al Qaida coming into the
    country--so we know what they're getting ready to attack--or questioning
    people we capture on the battlefield. That's what it's going to include.
        But it also means helping the millions who want to live in liberty
    to do so. In the long term, we will help our children and grandchildren
    live in a peaceful world by encouraging the spread of liberty.
        Five years ago, another country that faced a choice was Pakistan. At
    the time of 9/11, Pakistan was only one of three nations that recognized
    the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Al Qaida had a large presence in
    Pakistan. There was a strong radical Islamic movement in that country.
    Some of the 9/11 hijackers were housed and trained in Pakistan.
    Pakistan's future was in doubt, and President Musharraf understood that he had to make a fundamental choice
    for his people. He could turn a blind eye and leave the people hostage
    to the extremists, or he could join the free world in fighting the
    extremists and the terrorists. President Musharraf made the choice to
    fight for freedom, and the United States of America is grateful for his
    leadership.
        Within 2 days of the September the 11th attacks, the Pakistani
    Government committed itself to stop Al Qaida operatives at its border,
    to share intelligence on terrorist activities and movements, and to
    break off all ties with the Taliban government if it refused to hand
    over bin Laden and the Al Qaida. President
    Musharraf's decision to fight the
    terrorists was made at great personal risk. They have tried to kill him
    as a result of his decision because they know he has chosen to side with
    the forces of peace and moderation and that he stands in the way of
    their hateful vision for his country.
        President Musharraf's courageous choice
    to join the struggle against extremism has saved American lives. His
    Government has helped capture or kill many senior terrorist

    [[Page 1727]]

    leaders. For example, Pakistani forces helped capture Abu
    Zubaydah, a man we believe to be a trusted
    associate of Usama bin Laden. Pakistani
    forces helped capture another individual believed to be one of the key
    plotters of the 9/11 attacks, Ramzi bin al-Shibh. Pakistani forces helped capture the man our
    intelligence community believes masterminded the 9/11 attacks, Khalid
    Sheikh Mohammed.
        Once captured, these men were taken into custody of the Central
    Intelligence Agency. The questioning of these and other suspected
    terrorists provided information that helped us protect the American
    people. They helped us break up a cell of Southeast Asian terrorist
    operatives that had been groomed for attacks inside the United States.
    They helped us disrupt an Al Qaida operation to develop anthrax for
    terrorist attacks. They helped us stop a planned strike on a U.S. Marine
    camp in Djibouti and to prevent a planned attack on the U.S. consulate
    in Karachi and to foil a plot to hijack passenger planes and to fly them
    into Heathrow Airport and London's Canary Wharf.
        Were it not for the information gained from the terrorists captured
    with the help of Pakistan, our intelligence community believes that Al
    Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack
    against the American homeland. Our close cooperation with the Government
    of Pakistan has saved American lives, and America is grateful to have a
    strong and steadfast ally in the war against these terrorists.
        President Musharraf understands that
    the terrorists hide in remote regions and travel back and forth across
    the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And so we're helping his
    Government establish stronger control over these border areas. We are
    helping him to equip the nation's paramilitary Frontier Corps that is
    policing the border regions. The United States is funding the
    construction of more than 100 border outposts, which will provide
    Pakistani forces with better access to remote areas of the country's
    western border. We're providing high-tech equipment to help Pakistani
    forces better locate terrorists attempting to cross the border. We are
    funding an air wing with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to give
    Pakistan better security and surveillance capabilities.
        And as we work with President Musharraf
    to bring security to his own country, we're also supporting him as he
    takes steps to build a modern and moderate nation that will hold free
    and fair elections next year. In an address to his fellow citizens
    earlier this year, President Musharraf declared this: ``We have to
    eliminate extremism in our society. It will eat us up from within. So it
    is my appeal to all of you to shun extremism. Adopt the path of
    moderation. We will eliminate this extremism in our society, and then
    Pakistan will be considered a moderate, developed country.'' President
    Musharraf has a clear vision for his country as a nation growing in
    freedom and prosperity and peace. And as he stands against the
    terrorists and for the free future of his country, the United States of
    America will stand with him.
        In both Pakistan and Afghanistan, America has strong allies who are
    committed to rooting out the terrorists in their midst. And with their
    help, we've killed or captured hundreds of Al Qaida leaders and
    operatives, and we put the others on the run. Usama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message
    to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, we will find you, and
    we're going to bring you to justice.
        On Wednesday night, I had dinner with Presidents
    Musharraf and Karzai at the White House. We had a long--and we had a frank
    conversation about the challenges we face in defeating the extremists
    and the terrorists in their countries and providing the people of these
    two nations an alternative to the dark ideology of the enemy. We
    discussed the best ways to improve intelligence sharing so that we can
    target and

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    eliminate the leaders of Al Qaida and the Taliban.
        We resolved to strengthen the institutions of civil society in both
    countries. We agreed on the need to support tribal leaders on both sides
    of the border. By helping these local leaders build schools and roads
    and health clinics, we will help them build a better life for their
    communities and strengthen their hand against--the fight against the
    extremists. It was clear from our conversation that our three nations
    share the same goals: We will defeat the Taliban; we will defeat Al
    Qaida; and the only way to do it is by working together.
        Our meeting took place at a time when there is a debate raging in
    Washington about how best to fight the war on terror. Recently parts of
    a classified document called the National Intelligence Estimate was
    leaked to the press. As I said yesterday in Alabama, it's an indication
    that we're getting close to an election. [Laughter] The NIE is a
    document that analyzes the threat we face from terrorists and
    extremists. And its unauthorized disclosure has set off a heated debate
    here in the United States, particularly in Washington.
        Some have selectively quoted from this document to make the case
    that by fighting the terrorists--by fighting them in Iraq, we are making
    our people less secure here at home. This argument buys into the enemy's
    propaganda that the terrorists attack us because we're provoking them. I
    want to remind the American citizens that we were not in Iraq on
    September the 11th, 2001.
        And this argument was powerfully answered this week by Prime
    Minister Tony Blair. Here is what he said. He
    said, ``I believe passionately that we will not win until we shake
    ourselves free of the wretched capitulation to the propaganda of the
    enemy that somehow we are the ones responsible.'' He went on to say,
    ``This terrorism is not our fault. We didn't cause it, and it is not the
    consequence of foreign policy.'' He's right. You do not create terrorism
    by fighting terrorism. If that ever becomes the mindset of the
    policymakers in Washington, it means we'll go back to the old days of
    waiting to be attacked and then respond. Our most important duty is to
    protect the American people from a future attack, and the way to do so
    is to stay on the offense against the terrorists.
        Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. They
    are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for.
    And we stand for freedom. We stand for people to worship freely. One of
    the great things about America is you're equally American if you're a
    Jew, a Muslim, a Christian, an agnostic, or an atheist. What a powerful
    statement to the world about the compassion of the American people--that
    you're free to choose the religion you want in our country. They can't
    stand the thought that people can go into the public square in America
    and express their differences with government. They can't stand the
    thought that the people get to decide the future of our country by
    voting. Freedom bothers them because their ideology is the opposite of
    liberty; it is the opposite of freedom. And they don't like it because
    we know they know we stand in their way of their ambitions in the Middle
    East, their ambitions to spread their hateful ideology as a caliphate
    from Spain to Indonesia.
        We'll defeat the terrorists in Iraq. We'll deny them the safe haven
    to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. We're going to make it
    harder for them to recruit a new generation of terrorists. And we're
    going to help the Iraqis build a free society, a hopeful country that
    sends a powerful message across the broader Middle East and serves with
    those of us who believe in moderation and hope as an ally in the war
    against these extremists.
        We can have confidence in the outcome of the war on terror because
    our Nation is determined. We've done this kind of hard work before, and
    we have succeeded. And we can be confident because we've got incredible
    men and women who wear our Nation's uniform. I am constantly

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    amazed at the incredible courage that our fellow citizens who wear the
    uniform show on a regular basis.
        I think of two Navy SEALs named Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz. In
    June of 2005, they were part of a SEAL team operating deep in the
    mountains of Afghanistan on a mission to kill or capture a Taliban
    leader. They were discovered, and they were soon surrounded in a
    mountain ravine by 30 to 40 Taliban fighters. During the firefight that
    ensued, Axelson urged an injured teammate to escape, and he provided
    cover before suffering a mortal wound. Fighting nearby, his partner,
    Dietz, was also mortally wounded, but he stood his ground and kept
    firing until finally--he finally died.
        Because of the courage of Petty Officers Axelson and Dietz, their
    wounded teammate made it out alive. For their heroism, these two petty
    officers were awarded the Navy Cross. But I want you to hear what Petty
    Officer Dietz's wife said about her husband and
    his comrades in arms. She said, ``Danny and his brothers went toward
    evil and ran forward and gave their last breath.''
        We live in freedom because of the courage of men like Matthew and
    Danny, and we will honor their sacrifice by completing the mission. From
    Afghanistan and Iraq to Africa and Southeast Asia, we are engaged in a
    struggle against violent extremists, a struggle which will help
    determine the destiny of the civilized world. We've borne these
    responsibilities before, and we have seen our faith in freedom
    vindicated by history. In this young century, a new generation of
    Americans is being called to defend liberty, and once again, the cause
    of liberty and peace will prevail.
        Thank you for coming. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:36 a.m. at the Wardman Park Marriott
    Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Capt. Michael P. Smith, USN
    (Ret.), national president, Reserve Officers Association; Usama bin
    Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; Attorney General
    Abdul Jabbar Sabbit of Afghanistan; and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the
    United Kingdom.