On September 11, 2001, terrorists killed 3,000 innocent men, women, and children in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. The horror of that day illustrated how committed these extremists are to destroying democracy and the freedoms we hold dear.
Clearly, our nation faces a new kind of threat in the War on Terror. The oceans no longer protect us. We know that terrorists continue to plan attacks against the United States and other civilized societies. Moreover, our enemies are committed to acquiring greater means for inflicting even greater destruction and higher numbers of casualties.
In the face of this threat, the United States has begun to execute a strategy that takes the fight to the enemy while simultaneously improving our security at home. By destroying the enemy's leadership, disrupting their planning and logistical support, and limiting the areas in which they have freedom to operate, we reduce their ability to carry out further attacks here at home. We are improving security along our borders and at our ports. We are also improving the ways that intelligence agencies share information, and federal, state, and local law enforcement officials are working together to identify and eliminate threats in this country.
As part of this strategy, the United States led an international coalition against the Taliban government in Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks. With support from the international community, including the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, critical reconstruction work continues in Afghanistan. The United States is helping the young Afghan government address vital transportation, health, agriculture, trade, education and security issues.
To be successful, Afghanistan needs to be able to govern itself effectively and defend its citizens from extremists that have long taken advantage of its instability. Only by continuing to work with our allies to build a functional Afghan society will we truly achieve success in the region and better security for our nation.
