Pentagon Report on Afghanistan Not Particularly Encouraging - East Idaho News
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Pentagon Report on Afghanistan Not Particularly Encouraging

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N 060911 USArmySoldiersAfghanistan?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1355218284727U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dexter S. Saulisbury/Released(WASHINGTON) — The latest Pentagon report on Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan shows mixed results after more than 11 years of war.

According to the latest assessment made from April through September of 2012, there was a slight uptick in attacks by the Taliban but overall violence has dropped significantly since President Obama ordered a U.S. troop surge in early 2010.

Yet, the Pentagon acknowledged that the Taliban, which was driven from power in Afghanistan during the fall of 2001, remains “resilient and determined” and “will likely attempt to regain lost ground and influence” through assassinations and guerilla warfare.

Another troubling finding from the report is that Pakistan keeps offering safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters despite repeated warnings from Washington to Islamabad about stepping up its counterterrorism efforts.

The Pentagon also looked at so-called “insider attacks,” when Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on U.S. and NATO soldiers.

According to the report, “The rise in insider attacks has the potential to adversely affect the coalition’s political landscape.”  The problem has subsided somewhat in late 2012 with fewer Americans embedded with their Afghan counterparts.

One positive development has been the growth of Afghan National Security Forces as they prepare to assume security responsibilities in 2014. The Pentagon says the ASNF “has dramatically increased its capabilities.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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