US concerned over militancy increase in eastern Afghanistan.

Byline: Pajhwok Correspondent

US concerned over militancy increase in eastern Afghanistan

Pajhwok Correspondent - Jul 24, 2008 - 09:43

NEW YORK (PAN): The U.S. Defense Department Wednesday expressed its concern over the recent increase in foreign fighters in the eastern sector of Afghanistan coming from Pakistan which has resulted in increase in terrorist incidents in the country.

"There has been an increase in the flow of foreign fighters into the eastern province and the eastern region," Defense Department spokesperson Geoff Morrell told reporters in Washington.

"That has been a group of -- you know, Arab-speakers, Uzbeks, Chechens, Al Qaida, Taliban, and other terrorist groups who are now operating in and out of that area," he said.

Reiterating the views of the top US Army commanders, Murrell said the flow of foreign fighters have been coming from Pakistan. "These are Uzbeks, Chechens, Arab- speakers -- that there is, I think, greater connectivity between those disparate groups than we had seen in the past," he said.

"I think it's mixed. In some areas, it's getting worse. And in some areas, it's improving," Murrell said when asked about the current situation in the country. "Well, I think that's -- it's a mixed bag, as I just said. There are places where we are winning, and there are places which we are suffering setbacks," he said.

When asked to comment overall, he said: "Overall, I have not heard -- the only thing I have heard about a judgment about whether we are winning or losing in Afghanistan is that we are not losing there. I have not heard an emphatic statement from the chairman or the secretary declaring us winning there."

Murrell said: "I think that their view is that progress is being made and that there are areas in which we are seeing some setbacks, which are disappointing to us, but that nobody believes cannot be overcome. And it is just a matter of time before we are able to apply the additional forces there to turn around Afghanistan in the same manner we turned around Iraq."

Lkj/ajr

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Publication:	Pajhwok Afghan News (Kabul, Afghanistan)
Date:	Jul 24, 2008
Words:	359
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