NATO general: Negative Afghan headlines overblown

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO's top commander in Afghanistan is tired of negative headlines, and he is on an offensive to counter what he sees as a wave of unwarranted pessimism in news reports coming out of the country.

U.S. Gen. David McKiernan's public relations push comes at a time when more U.S. and NATO troops have died than in any other year since the 2001 U.S. invasion, in part because Taliban militants are launching increasingly complex and deadly attacks.

"There's a lot of negative reporting. Somebody likes to report an attack somewhere and that becomes the trend in Afghanistan, or they don't report the positive events or the absolute brutality or the illegitimacy of the Taliban," McKiernan told The Associated Press in an interview Sunday.

McKiernan highlighted an event last week witnessed by NATO troops in Farah province in which insurgents planting a roadside bomb grabbed two children and used them as human shields when they were attacked by NATO forces.



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jZoCJh7WDYVqPkFx3R2GbXbq4LXAD942MMOO1

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You know what, General?

I'm tired of negative headlines too!

:eyes: