More than half of Afghanistan is back under Taliban control and the Nato force in the country needs to be doubled in size to cope with the resurgent group, a report by the Senlis Council think-tank says. A study by the group found that the Taliban, enriched by illicit profits from the country’s record poppy harvest, had formed de-facto governments in swathes of the southern Pashtun belt.
The Afghan government and its Nato allies strongly deny the Senlis version of what is taking place in the country and say the extent of alleged Taliban
control – 54 per cent – is a major exaggeration. In particular, British troops in Helmand have, in recent months, recovered territory lost to the Islamist group.
But senior defence sources say that a lack of frontline combat forces has meant that areas clawed back from the Taliban often cannot be held and have to be retaken after costly and fierce fighting. There is also an acknowledgement that the dangers on the ground have meant that aid efforts are being stymied.
I personally would like to see more numbers come in from different groups, but it is of no suprise that the Afghan “government” would deny it. It is undeniable that the Taliban still have a vast influence on the Afghan people, 54% or not. I guess maybe if we wanted regime change so bad we shouldn’t have cut and run from Afghanistan and rely on war lords to do most of our ground fighting (we needed to save those guys for Iraq obviously) which has led to the escape of Osama Bin Laden and the resurgence of the Taliban. Go Bush!
