Gen. David Petraeus Insists Taliban Is Being Halted in Key Areas

(Aug. 23) -- The recently appointed commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan says that the Taliban's momentum has been reversed in many areas of the country, but that success comes at a price and "tough fighting" lies ahead.

"When you take away areas that mean a lot to the enemy, the enemy fights back," Gen. David Petraeus said in a BBC interview.

Reminded that June and July were the deadliest months for troops now under his command, Petraeus added, "As I said, it gets harder before it gets easier."

But he said reversing the Taliban, in areas south of the country and in Kabul, was not enough. "You have to take away the sanctuaries and safe havens that the Taliban has established over the course of these years," he said, "and that's going to entail tough fighting."

Petraeus seemed to hedge a bit, however, on one key issue, however -- the Obama administration's plan to begin a withdrawal of U.S. forces next July. Perhaps he's aware that challenging the White House was what led to the firing of his predecessor, Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

"Well, I think it's very important to remember what July 2011 actually is," he said. "That's a date when a process begins; nothing more and nothing less. It's not a date when U.S. troops begin an exodus and look for an exit and look for the light to turn off when they leave the room."

It was a date, he said, when the process of handing over some tasks to Afghan forces might begin, but "at a pace when it's possible." If he thinks a withdrawal next July is too risky or unrealistic, "I'll offer my best professional military advice," he said.

Asked if he was concerned that he might end up fired as well, Petraeus said, "When you go into a job like this, you always think it's your last job. That's what I did in Iraq -- you are determined to provide the most forthright advice you can."

In his own assessment of his interview, the BBC's world affairs editor, John Simpson, said Petraeus perhaps realizes that it would be "an unthinkable disaster" for Obama to lose two Afghan commanders.

"General Petraeus must know that as long as he is careful, he can get the July deadline moved back without difficulty -- if he even needs to, given the vagueness of it," Simpson said.