|
 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - NATO forces are putting more trained Afghan troops on the front lines and plan "rolling operations" against Taliban insurgents who are intensifying their attacks but remain unable to mount territory-seizing offensives, military officers say.
Still, there's little prospect the suffering of combatants or civilians will abate. After a bloody 2006, violence has escalated again, leaving more than 1,000 people dead in the first four months of 2007, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press.
In the field and at NATO headquarters, there's twofold optimism for the military campaign in the months ahead: that large-scale operations against the Taliban's southern strongholds have blunted what appeared to be a drive to seize vital terrain, and that the Afghan National Army is crystalizing into an effective fighting force.
|