Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will be splitting my time with Mr. Ignatieff.
First of all, General, it is good to see you. It's been a little while, but I am delighted to see you before us.
As one of those who returned from Afghanistan, I have three quick questions. Then Mr. Ignatieff will put his questions on the table and we'll go from there.
Why are we finding more IEDs lately? How much is the success in southern Afghanistan based on eliminating the insurgent leadership cadre? And finally, as long as the FATA region of Pakistan is open to the insurgents as a sanctuary, is it realistic to expect any real progress in eliminating the insurgency threat in the Kandahar region?
And now, Mr. Chair, I will go to Mr. Ignatieff for his questions.