Army General Bantz J. Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, wants to break the "day fighters", Afghans who fight for the Taliban or al Qaeda for money, away from the group.
General Craddock speaking on National Public Radio's Diane Rehm Show the 28th of January 2008 about NATO and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said “The idea is to drive a wedge between the Taliban and the people.”
"If they could get an honest wage, they would do it," Craddock said. "That's the job creation that needs to happen throughout the country. And it has to happen in the south and east, as well as the more stable areas in the north and west."
Most of Afghanistan's 396 districts are peaceful, the general said, with 40 districts in the southern and eastern parts of the country causing 70 percent of Afghanistan's security problems. "That is Taliban country," Craddock said.
The NATO effort must be a long-term commitment, General Craddock said, because NATO forces will be needed until Afghans can take over responsibility for security. Meanwhile, he said, the Afghan government, international community and nongovernmental organizations must work together more effectively to put infrastructure in place and create jobs. Aid programs "must be integrated, coordinated and focused on the delivery of the effects: the jobs, the infrastructure, the roads,"