John Abizaid Quotes

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John Abizaid

Profession : Soldier

Birth : April 1, 1951

You know as well as I do that counterinsurgency is a very nuanced type of military operation.

John Abizaid

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

But the truth of the matter is that there is there is an opportunity for them to participate in the economic and political future of the country and certainly in the security life of the country.

John Abizaid

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

Well, the hardest thing to do, as we know from our own experience on 9/11 is protect everything all the time.

John Abizaid

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

So, these political activities will create friction in and of themselves, and in this environment of friction there'll be additional violence.

John Abizaid

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

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

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

You don't build a new power plant in the United States overnight. It takes years to build.

John Abizaid

Nobody's more mindful of the sacrifices of our troops than those of us that command them.

John Abizaid

We'll try to include Iraqi officers in our staffs. We will do everything we can to empower Iraqi security forces to stand up on their own and operate where they can alone.

John Abizaid

The power to prevent violence is a power that no police force seems to have anywhere in the United States.

John Abizaid

The United States is the most powerful nation on Earth and it just can't walk away from the Middle East and central Asia and the Horn of Africa.

John Abizaid