Taliban in Control of 54 Percent of Afghanistan: Senlis Council

'Stumbling into Chaos: Afghanistan on the Brink', The Senlis Council, 21 November 2007.

ABSTRACT: "The security situation in Afghanistan has reached crisis proportions. The Taliban's ability to establish a presence throughout the country is now proven beyond doubt; exclusive research undertaken by Senlis Afghanistan indicates that 54 per cent of Afghanistan’s landmass hosts a permanent Taliban presence, primarily in southern Afghanistan, and is subject to frequent hostile activity by the insurgency.

"The Taliban are the de facto governing authority in significant portions of territory in the south and east, and are starting to control parts of the local economy and key infrastructure such as roads and energy supply. The insurgency also exercises a significant amount of psychological control, gaining more and more political legitimacy in the minds of the Afghan people who have a long history of shifting alliances and regime change."

EXCERPT: "The Taliban has returned in force, and the insurgency frontline is getting ever closer to Kabul. Attacks are perpetrated on a daily basis: several provinces are now experiencing suicide bombings, murders, ambushes and explosions; US and NATO-ISAF troops are constantly engaged in war operations and are suffering significant losses, especially in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, and an increasing number of civilians are being killed [...] Such an increase in Taliban and Al-Qaeda activity would not have been possible without the establishment of an extra-territorial sanctuary" in Pakistan.

To read the press release, click here.

To read the full report, click here.

See also:
'Attack Taliban training camps in Pakistan, Senlis Council tells NATO', Macleans, 12 November 2007
'Resurgent Taliban closing in on Kabul - report', Reuters AlertNet, 21 November 2007

Related posts:
'Violence Restricting UN Operations in South, East', 12 October 2007
'UNDSS Half-Year Review of the Security Situation in Afghanistan', 9 October 2007
'FAST Early Warning Assessment: August to September 2007', 9 October 2007
'New U.N. Report Highlights Widespread Corruption, Insecurity', 27 September 2007