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Obama Doesn't Mention Afghanistan in Counterterrorism Speech

7:15 PM, Oct 6, 2009 • By JOHN MCCORMACK
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Michael Crowley writes:

Obama spoke at the National Counterterrorism Center today:

We know that al Qaeda and its extremist allies threaten us from different corners of the globe -- from Pakistan, but also from East Africa and Southeast Asia; from Europe and the Gulf. And that's why we're applying focused and relentless pressure on al Qaeda -- by sharing more intelligence, strengthening the capacity of our partners, disrupting terrorist financing, cutting off supply chains, and inflicting major losses on al Qaeda's leadership.

Notes John Dickerson:

What country is missing? Afghanistan, the country where, for months, Obama has talked about "al-Qaida and its extremist allies," which previously had meant the Taliban.

This is yet another sign that the White House isn't sure that defeating the Taliban is part of the mission in Afghanistan.

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