- BRUSSELS: The top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan says combat will likely escalate during the spring thaw as Taleban insurgents try to return to areas cleared by the international forces during the past several months.
Gen. David Petraeus said that after last year’s surge that boosted the international force to about 150,000 troops, NATO is now in control of safe havens “that matter to the Taleban.” He was speaking in an interviewed aired Wednesday by NATO TV.
Fighting last year was the most intense in the 10 year war. A record number of NATO troops, insurgents and civilians have been killed.
Analysts caution that the Taleban have simply fallen back in the face of superior NATO-led and government forces.
