Pentagon offers grim look after 7 years of Afghan war

06/30/2008

ASSOCIATED PRESS


The latest: The Taliban has regrouped after its initial fall from power in Afghanistan and the pace of its attacks is likely to increase this year, according to a Pentagon report offering a dim view of progress in the nearly 7-year-old war.

Noting that insurgent violence has climbed, the report said that despite U.S. and coalition efforts to capture and kill key leaders, the Taliban is likely to "maintain or even increase the scope and pace of its terrorist attacks and bombings in 2008."

The Taliban, it said, has "coalesced into a resilient insurgency."

At the same time, the Afghan Army and national police are progressing slowly and still lack the trainers they need.

A litany of woes: Vast problems -- corruption, the illegal poppy trade, human rights abuses and slow progress in reconstruction -- were detailed, as well as the struggle to train and equip the Afghan Army and police.

Two-fold threat: The report described a dual threat: the Taliban in the south and "a more complex, adaptive insurgency" in the east.

That fragmented insurgency is made up of groups ranging from Al-Qaida and Afghan warlords to Pakistani militants.

Insurgents will continue to challenge the government in southern and eastern Afghanistan, and they may also move to increase their power in the north and west, the report predicted.

ASSOCIATED PRESS