Things not going so well in Afghanistan, surprised?

[partylessinOhio]

Violence, Troop Levels Rise in Afghanistan

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer 46 minutes ago

Violence in southern Afghanistan has increased in recent months, coming as the U.S. boosted troop strength there from about 20,000 to 23,000. But the top U.S. military commander in the country said the increased Taliban activity is due more to weak government institutions than a major surge in the Taliban's strength.

The commander of U.S.-led coalition forces, Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, told Pentagon reporters that he is not yet ready to make recommendations to reduce U.S. troop levels, which have increased by about 15 percent since the beginning of the year.

Eikenberry said the influence of the Taliban, whose government was toppled by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, is stronger than it was last year in the Kandahar, Helmand and Oruzgan provinces in southern and south-central Afghanistan. He also said the number of Taliban fighters may have increased in the past few months.

At the same time, the number of suicide bombings and explosive devices has risen. Eikenberry and other Pentagon officials could not provide details on how much the violence has jumped in recent months or specifics on the number of attacks. ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060510/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_afghanistan_2

Other headlines:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=afghanistan&c=

1. Violence, Troop Levels Rise in Afghanistan
AP via Yahoo! News - 45 minutes ago
Violence in southern Afghanistan has increased in recent months, coming as the U.S. boosted troop strength there from about 20,000 to 23,000. But the top U.S. military commander in the country said the increased Taliban activity is due more to weak government institutions than a major surge in the Taliban's strength.

2. US Afghanistan forces see more Iraq-like attacks
Reuters via Yahoo! News - May 10 11:34 AM
U.S. forces are tracking a worrisome rise in Afghanistan of tactics used by insurgents in Iraq, but have no conclusive evidence that those methods have been brought by rebels coming from Iraq, a senior U.S. commander said on Wednesday.

3. 2 Killed, 9 Injured in Afghanistan Clash
AP via Yahoo! News - May 10 11:36 AM
Villagers clashed with police trying to eradicate poppy fields in northern Afghanistan, leaving at least two farmers dead and nine police injured, an official said Wednesday.

4. General: More Taliban in southern Afghanistan
CNN.com - May 10 11:29 AM
The Taliban's influence has grown in parts of southern Afghanistan over the past year, the top U.S. commander in that country said Wednesday.

5. Canada's mission to Afghanistan may take longer than expected
AFP via Yahoo! News - May 10 6:35 AM
Canada is committed to fostering democracy and defeating terrorism in Afghanistan even if it takes longer than planned, the foreign minister said amid growing disquiet at home about the mission.

6. 2 Killed, 9 Injured in Afghanistan Clash
ABC News - May 10 12:02 PM
Villagers Clash With Police Trying to Eradicate Poppy Fields in Afghanistan; 2 Killed, 9 Injured

7. Worcester soldier among 10 killed in Afghanistan crash
Boston Globe - 32 minutes ago
A 19-year-old Worcester man was among 10 soldiers killed when their helicopter crashed during combat operations in eastern Afghanistan last week, the Army announced Wednesday.

8. Violence, troop levels rise in Afghanistan
Boston Globe - 47 minutes ago
The increase in violence in southern Afghanistan in recent months results more from weak government institutions than a major resurgence of the Taliban, the commander of U.S.-led coalition forces in the country said Wednesday.

9. Dutch confident about mission in volatile southern Afghanistan
AFP via Yahoo! News - May 09 9:54 PM
Helicopters, engineers and armoured infantry are helping make the commander of Dutch troops in southern Afghanistan confident of success in their mission in Uruzgan, where now only an handful of special forces are taking on the Taliban.

10. Violence, Troop Levels Rise in Afghanistan
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune - 48 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) - The increase in violence in southern Afghanistan in recent months results more from weak government institutions than a major resurgence of the Taliban, the commander of U.S.-led coalition forces in the country said Wednesday. The spike in violence comes as the U.S. military force has grown from about 20,000 to 23,000 since the beginning of the year. The coalition commander, Lt.

[pocket]

1. How's the pipeline coming along?

Everything else is trivial.

[Doctor_J]

2. Commander Flight Suit surrendered Afghanistan

to bomb and occupy Iraq. He should be tried for treason just for giving Afghanistan back to the Taliban

[rodeodance]

3. yes, abc did a good segment on this also tonight.

[Disturbed]

4. A two Front US Occupation?

Yes, I know that there are other countries that have troops there but mainly this is a US Operation. By diverting troops and other support forces to Iraq the Bush Regime left an opening for a Taliban comeback and the War Lord's hold on the Heroin Trade is booming now more than ever. There will never be peace in that country and the US presence will need to be there for decades. Busholini has touted this as a great success story. If the US and other countries pulled out there would be a takeover by the Taliban within a few months.