Taliban creeping into more of Afghanistan

Canada News.Net
Thursday 26th June, 2008

Russia claims the Taliban is expanding its zone of influence in Afghanistan.

The Russian ambassador to Kabul has said the Taliban have been stepping up their activities in recent months.

The radical Islamic movement has vowed to increase attacks to undermine the present Afghan administration.

Zamir Kabulov told reporters after a Russia-NATO Council meeting in Brussels that despite the annual increase in the numbers of foreign troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban has influence in more than half of Afghanistan's territory and control up to 20 percent of that area.

The ambassador said that despite the six-year-long international peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan, in which NATO plays a key role, the situation in Afghanistan in general continues to deteriorate.

Responding to a question by reporter, he said that the NATO-led coalition force had 53,000 personnel, plus, 'on paper,' 62,000 in the National Afghan Army and 70,000 in the Afghan police.

He said this force was fighting against some 2,500 professionally trained militants.

Kabulov said it was critical for NATO to change its tactics and strategy in Afghanistan and added that the only way out for NATO would be to create a battle-worthy Afghan army and police force.

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