Heavy Afghan fighting expected - U.S. envoy
Source: Reuters
(Adds NATO commander quotes and NATO comment) By Robert Birsel CHARIKAR, Afghanistan, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said on Monday he expected heavy fighting with the Taliban this year but the government's growing strength made him optimistic about the country's prospects. NATO's commander of forces in Afghanistan called for extra troops to fight the Taliban more energetically, saying victory could be just a year away. Last year was the bloodiest in Afghanistan since U.S.-led troops drove the Taliban from power in 2001. The violence, particularly in the south and east near the border with Pakistan, has eased since a bitter winter set in but is expected to intensify when the weather improves. "Yes, I do expect there will be some heavy fighting in the spring, both in the south and the east," U.S. ambassador Ronald Neumann told reporters during a visit to a town north of Kabul. "I believe the Taliban now feel that time is not on their side anymore, that there's an expansion of the army, there's an expansion of NATO, there is an expansion of government authority." "I think the Taliban has to try to fight and therefore it will," Neumann said. There are about 40,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, the most since 2001. The commander of the 32,000-strong NATO force, General David Richards, told the Guardian newspaper more troops were needed. "We should, and can, win in Afghanistan but we need to put more military effort into the country." The newspaper quoted Richards as saying the military was "hugely frustrated". "We must apply ourselves more energetically for one more year in order to win ... What I need is more troops, not the ability simply to redeploy existing troops," Richards said. "MORE OPTIMISTIC" Neumann, visiting the town of Charikar 60 km (40 miles) from Kabul for the opening of a U.S.-funded road project, said he was confident the Taliban would be tackled but it was important to be realistic about the danger. "I believe that we will be strong and be pushing them back but I think we have to be honest with people and tell them that there may be some hard fighting," he said. U.S. President George W. Bush last week nominated William Wood to replace Neumann as ambassador to Afghanistan. Neumann said he was more optimistic about Afghanistan's future than he had been when he arrived in 2005. "I'm seeing better governors ... there has been a considerable change in the leadership of the police forces," he said. "None of these things are perfect or complete or quick, but when you add them up together, there is a considerable element of progress," Neumann said. "Year by year the government is ... becoming stronger." Some progress has been made in building an Afghan army but the police are generally seen as poorly trained and equipped. Analysts say it will be years before Afghan forces can take over from foreign troops. Pakistan said it lodged a protest with international forces in Afghanistan after they fired across the border killing a paramilitary soldier. A NATO spokeswoman said aircraft had attacked insurgents who fired on a NATO base near the border and there may have been casualties. Taliban infiltration from Pakistan is a major problem for security forces in Afghanistan.
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