International

"Afghan forces capable of deterring terrorists"

BERLIN: The outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Tuesday praised the progress of Afghan military and police and said 2007 could bring ``a turning point'' in efforts to overcome last year's upsurge in violence.

Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, in Berlin for a reconstruction conference, said Taliban fighters showed they could not take control of areas where there was a strong Afghan Government presence, and that the challenge was to build up local government and security.

``There are no areas of Afghanistan where this extremist enemy has been able to take an existing presence of the Government of Afghanistan, with good security and good social service, and been able to push that out,'' said Lt. Gen. Eikenberry, whose command officially ends February 7. ``In 2007, as we look at a lot of the trend lines, as we look at the capabilities, that the Afghan Government has in its hands increased commitment from the international community, I remain optimistic that 2007 could well be a turning point.''

He warned that the spring could see an upsurge in Taliban attacks, after a year in which some 4,000 people died in insurgent-related violence. He said that work with Afghan police was moving more slowly than with the Afghan military.

NATO has some 31,000 troops in the country, with 11,000 U.S. troops under NATO command and an additional 12,000-13,000 Americans under U.S. command pursuing terrorist leaders and training Afghan personnel. — AP

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu