US officials say concrete progress in Afghan war against Taliban

KABUL - Top U.S. officials insist that there is concrete progress in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

“Compared to where we were a year ago, we’re seeing some positive trends emerging,” the Washington Post quoted U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry, as saying.

He further said that expanding operations of NATO and Afghan forces are starting to have a cumulative effect.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates had also sounded a note of hope during a trip to Afghanistan last month.

“Are we headed in the right direction? Do we have enough evidence of progress that tells us that we are in fact on the right track? Based on what I’ve seen here today, I’m hopeful that we will be in that position,” Gates had said.

The evaluation comes ahead of the December war review ordered by US President Barack Obama.

Many officials also believe that the Taliban is showing a willingness to come forward to negotiate a peace deal, as they are having trouble coping with increased troop levels and the higher tempo of NATO operations.

“The Taliban are taking losses they can’t sustain,” said US Colonel Dave Bellon, NATO’s chief of operations for southern Afghanistan.

According to the reports, NATO pounded the Taliban with 2,100 bombs or missiles from June through September, with 700 in September alone.

The records reveal that the figures reveal an increase of nearly 50 percent over the same period last year. (ANI)