Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, stated that more NATO troops will die in Afghanistan and the war will get worse before it gets better. While Mullen went on to say that getting control of the escalating rise in insurgent activity is within reach, the message was clear, more soldiers would die before NATO gained the upper hand. In a country where coalition deaths are fast approaching 2000 over a ten year period, further casualties have caused an international outcry.
Mullen’s comments came on the heels of a Taliban announcement that they were holding one of two American servicemen who, according to the Taliban, had wandered into insurgent territory. The second of the two men was killed. A NATO spokesman declined any comment regarding the Taliban’s claims. While the Afghan government said in a conference the prior week that they would commit to complete countrywide security by 2014, civilians are becoming enraged at the number of non-military casualties. The latest wave of anti-coalition sentiment centers on recent raids by foreign forces in Sangin.
The number of reports of civilian casualties has been steadily growing in the region. The Afghan government is looking into civilian reports that claim innocent villagers had been killed during a raid by supposedly friendly forces in Sangin. While NATO forces admit to being aware of the report, they have declined to comment. With civilian deaths and rumors of increased military activity, many who once cheered the coalition forces are now outraged at their actions. As U.S. troops pull out of certain areas, the Taliban and their sympathizers move in and reclaim lost ground
The district of Barg-i-Matal, an area that has changed hands several times, has been retaken by Taliban guerillas. Washington’s strategy of moving U.S. troops to more populated regions leaves these remote areas open to recapture by insurgents.
By: Brant
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