'US Says Nearing Key Moment In Eastern Afghanistan', AlertNet, 22 April 2009
EXCERPT: "U.S. and NATO forces are close to achieving 'irreversible momentum' in their battle with insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, a senior commander said on Wednesday. The Taliban and other insurgent groups have been strongest in eastern and southern Afghanistan but U.S. Army Major General Michael Tucker said security had improved this year in the east, where U.S. forces lead NATO troops. He said about 80 percent of insurgent activity now took place in southern Afghanistan, where the United States plans to deploy thousands of troops in the coming months to reinforce British, Canadian, Dutch and other NATO soldiers. In the south, Tucker reiterated the assessment of other senior U.S. officials that NATO and Afghan government forces were stuck in a stalemate with the insurgents. The United States plans to deploy some 25,000 more troops to Afghanistan by the end of the summer, most of them to the south, in an effort to curb insurgent violence at its highest levels since U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001. There are about 40,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan now and around 32,000 troops from other nations, mainly NATO members."
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See also:
'Coalition shifts Afghan focus to south', VOA News, 22 April 2009
'No improvement in Afghan war', ABC Online, 22 April 2009
'US seeks global support to defeat "horrible" Taliban', The Times of India, 22 April 2009
'Afghan, coalition forces kill insurgent, detain six suspects', Systems, 22 April 2009
Related posts:
'A strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan-Pakistan', 2 April 2009
'Progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan', 2 February 2009
'Afghan leader complains US, NATO aren't succeeding', 26 November 2008
'Afghanistan troop buildup could more than double', 29 October 2008
