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All John Abizaid Quotes
You know as well as I do that counterinsurgency is a very nuanced type of military operation.
John Abizaid
80% of people like this quote
But the key shift in focus will be from counter-insurgency operations to more and more cooperation with Iraqi security forces and to building Iraqi security capacity.
John Abizaid
62% of people like this quote
Morale is good; troops are confident; leaders are capable.
John Abizaid
62% of people like this quote
Clearly the Secretary of Defense, my boss, would like nothing better than to get Osama bin Laden and to get... to ensure the complete defeat of al-Qaida, because we know that al-Qaida is planning operations against the United States even as we speak here.
John Abizaid
55% of people like this quote
We've got to ensure that the quality and the capability of these forces will be good enough to withstand the challenges that the insurgents and the terrorists will present to the new Iraqi government.
John Abizaid
54% of people like this quote
Oh, the transition concerns me because as we move towards an important political event, it's clear to me that the terrorists and insurgents will move as hard as they can to disrupt this process.
John Abizaid
54% of people like this quote
So, these political activities will create friction in and of themselves, and in this environment of friction there'll be additional violence.
John Abizaid
53% of people like this quote
It's also natural in that part of the world to blame what people view as the... as the most important authority in the region, and that currently is the United States of America.
John Abizaid
53% of people like this quote
And so I think that if the person has the funds, the network, and the equipment to do this, and also the experience, which is the key factor, then they can be quite deadly.
John Abizaid
53% of people like this quote
It's clear to me now that we've got to reach out to the Arab Sunni community in particular in an effort to cause some moderate political activity to take place so they join the future of Iraq.
John Abizaid
53% of people like this quote
I think you also understand that one of the key things that's got to be done in Iraq is to build a mentality of understanding that the military needs to be subordinate to civilian control and respectful of its own people.
John Abizaid
53% of people like this quote
Well, the reports are correct that we're conducting very robust military operations on the Afghan side of the border in areas where we think al-Qaida is operating and Taliban remnants are.
John Abizaid
53% of people like this quote
Certainly our goal is to leave Iraq, but we can't leave Iraq with our forces until we know that the Iraqi security forces are capable and efficient enough to defend the sovereignty of the nation.
John Abizaid
52% of people like this quote
I think what actually works best is local-level individual targeting of key leadership nodes.
John Abizaid
52% of people like this quote
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