Afghans lose hope against Taliban insurgency

GlobalPost

Afghans are losing hope they will be protected against a defiant Taliban-led insurgency, according to a White House report on the 10th anniversary of the NATO war in Afghanistan, the Telegraph reports.

The quietly released report discusses how the Taliban continues to assassinate government officials and tribal elders and an Afghan army making some progress but still not ready for leadership, it reports.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, as tens of thousands of NATO, US and Afghan troops continue to battle Taliban insurgents.

The offensive by the United States and Britain, backed by their Afghan allies, was aimed at ending the rule of the Taliban and hunting down Al-Qaeda Islamic militants held responsible for carrying out the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people, Radio Free Europe Reports.

While U.S. President Barack Obama intends for the complete withdrawal of 98,000 US troops by 2014, the report raises serious concern about the readiness of the Afghan National Army [ANA] and its police to take over.

According to the White House report, there had been a sharp fall in the number of people who believed their communities were secure.

The 50 per cent of people who thought security was good in 2010 had dropped to 33 per cent this year.

Afghan security forces had performed slightly better this year, but only 25 per cent of the country felt that it will "most likely" or "certainly will" defeat the insurgents in the next few years.

The dispute over irregularities in the last year's parliamentary elections had undermined public confidence, the report said, citing a poll which found "Afghans reported overwhelmingly, at 87 per cent, that government corruption affects their daily lives," the Telegraph reports.

More than 130,000 international troops are still in Afghanistan, 10 years after the start of the US-led invasion of the country, BBC reports.

Operation Enduring Freedom was formed to hunt down Osama Bin Laden in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and to overthrow the Taliban rulers who were sheltering him.

But while removing the Taliban took just weeks, the conflict has continued for a decade, BBC reports.

It has cost more than 2700 NATO lives.

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