Pentagon report says violence in Afghanistan is at an all-time high

WASHINGTON - Violence in Afghanistan has reached an all-time high, with clashes up fourfold since 2007, the Pentagon has said.

In a twice-annual report to the US Congress, the Pentagon said progress had been “uneven”, with only modest gains against the Taliban insurgency.

According to the BBC, the Pentagon also reported gains in security, governance, and development in key areas, but it warned the Taliban was exploiting perceptions among the Afghan people that Nato forces will soon leave the country, clearing the way for a Taliban victory.

The report covers the period between April 1 and September 30. The Pentagon attributed much of the increase in violence to the growth in the coalition force after US President Barack Obama’s escalation of American troops this year.

The Pentagon assessment depicts an enemy that has the support of Iran and continuing access to safe havens along the Pakistani border. The insurgency emerges from the Pentagon report as resilient, adaptable and sophisticated.

Approximately 97,000 US troops and 48,800 troops from other countries are in Afghanistan at present.

Since January 2009, when Mr Obama took office, the US has more than tripled the number of civilians in the country, to 1,100, including diplomats, criminal investigators and drug enforcement agents and agricultural experts. (ANI)