This after dimson, in his speech today, claimed that the Taliban were clearing out of Afghanistan and the situation is markedly improved. Who's briefing this clown anyway?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4170721.html Sept. 7, 2006, 3:47PM
NATO needs more troops to fight Taliban
By PAUL GARWOOD Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO's top military commander said Thursday that he needs more troops to fight the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, where a widening insurgency has left hundreds dead, including 21 militants in the alliance's latest air and ground attacks.
U.S. Gen. James L. Jones acknowledged NATO had been surprised by the "level of intensity" of Taliban attacks since the alliance took over from American-led coalition forces in the south in August.
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Iraq-style suicide bombings, highly organized ambushes and dogged resistance have become hallmarks of Taliban holdouts who are fueling Afghanistan's worst violence since the U.S.-led invasion toppled the hard-line regime in late 2001.
NATO officials say current troop levels are enough to combat militants in southern deserts and mountain ranges, or crossing from neighboring Pakistan. But the vast battlefield in the south provides ample cover for insurgents familiar with the terrain and the region's tribes. Additional air support and as many as 2,500 new, highly mobile reserve troops would help finish the conflict faster, the officials said.
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