U.S. to keep pressure on al-Qaida, Taliban
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U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that his administration is keeping pressure on al-Qaida and Taliban.
"Al-Qaida and their affiliates continue to plan attacks against us," Obama warned in his State of the Union Address at the Capitol.
Law enforcement and intelligence community continued to disrupt plots and secure U.S. cities and skies, while taking the fight "to al-Qaida and their allies abroad."
He said in Afghanistan, U.S. troops have begun their offensive on Taliban strongholds and trained Afghan Security Forces. The purpose is to prevent the Taliban from reestablishing a stranglehold over the country and deny al-Qaida a safe-haven that served as a launching pad for 9/11 attacks.
"Fewer Afghans are under the control of the insurgency," he said, while admitting "there will be tough fighting ahead, and the Afghan government will need to deliver better governance."
In Pakistan, the President said al-Qaida's leadership is "under more pressure than at any point since 2001," as their leaders and operatives are being hunted down, and their safe-havens are shrinking.
"We have sent a message from the Afghan border to the Arabian Peninsula to all parts of the globe," Obama said. "We will not relent, we will not waver, and we will defeat you."
Obama also reaffirmed his policy on the unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the Iraq War is coming to an end while pledging to begin bringing troops home from Afghanistan in July.
As U.S. combat mission ends in Iraq and nearly 100,000 troops leaving, Obama said his administration has kept the commitment to end the Iraq War.
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