LAHORE – The coalition forces have forced out the Taliban out of territory they had held for up to five years and many of them had escaped to sanctuaries in Pakistan, Gen David H Petraeus, the top American commander in Afghanistan, said on Tuesday, according to New York Times. He said coalition forces would focus in the coming months on a strategy called “defence and depth”, blocking the Taliban’s their return through strategic border regions that the insurgents traditionally used, like in southern Helmand, eastern Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar provinces, and preventing them from regaining control of their old havens in Afghanistan.
Besides well-reported advances in southern provinces, American and NATO forces have also been able to halt or reverse Taliban gains around the capital, Kabul, and even in the north and west of the country, Petraeus told NYT. The general made his case for an improving overall picture in Afghanistan in an interview, offering a preview of what is likely to be his argument next week when he testifies before Congress for the first time since he took over command of coalition forces in Afghanistan eight months ago, the NYT said.
“The momentum of the Taliban has been halted in much of the country and reversed in some important areas,” he said. “The Taliban have never been under the pressure that they were put under over the course of the last eight to 10 months,” he added. Other aspects of the war remain difficult, and progress is patchy and slow, General Petraeus said.
