Top 15 John R. Allen Quotes

We don’t see that the Taliban ultimately can succeed, and it’s a combination both of what the international community can do to support Afghanistan, not just in the short term, but over the long term.

I seek as much as I can to mitigate risk.

America will honor our treaty obligations.

We’re pursuing a strategic partnership with Afghanistan on the case of the United States and Afghanistan where we’re going to push toward a future. It is the future that the Afghans desire with the United States. It is a future that the Afghans desire with the international community and we desire that as well.

I can’t spend a lot of time worrying about the numbers at home. I’ve got to focus on the mission.

We will oppose and resist tyranny as we will defeat evil.

To our enemies – to our enemies – we will pursue you as only America can. You will fear us.

To our allies and our friends and our partners. Listen closely. We are with you. America will not abandon you.

To ISIS and others: We will defeat you.

To those acting against peace, civilization and the world order: We will oppose you.

And the narrative for the Taliban that they can wait us out is a flawed narrative. I think that the unambiguous international support for Afghanistan has been a very powerful message. You know, that was the message that came out of the NATO summit. We will not abandon Afghanistan.

We’re probably going to see some post-2014 military presence – some U.S. presence and a NATO presence – and while we’ve got much work to do in the next 29 months, we’ll have additional time later for the continued professionalization of the Afghan security forces.

Al Qaeda has come back. Al Qaeda is a resilient organization. But they’re not here in large numbers. But al Qaeda doesn’t have to be anywhere in large numbers.

There is a direct line relationship between what happened in Afghanistan in the work up to 11 September 2001 and what we’re doing in Afghanistan today.

Protecting Afghan civilians is the cornerstone of our mission.