Insurgents in a state of confusion: UK general

WASHINGTON (PAN’s policies and the American drawdown.

“I would characterise the insurgency now as being somewhat confused,” International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Nick Carter told Pentagon reporters in a video conference from Afghanistan.

“It is the case that Pakistan’s behavior is slightly different, and we believe that has confused the insurgency. The prisoner releases that have taken place over the last three months are raising questions that perhaps were unexpected hitherto,” he said.

The announcement of the Doha office had also caused confusion, and the extent to which political engagement could occur was another factor, Carter said, giving his sense of the ground realties in Afghanistan.

The confusion among the Taliban was having its impact on the battle front too, he noted. “I think it manifests itself in the levels of violence. I think there are areas where we’ve had a significant amount of tactical success, particularly in Kandahar and Helmand…”

At the strategic level, the militants appeared to rethink their overall approach, he said. “You’d expect that, because ultimately this is about politics. And when you see a country that has changed like Afghanistan over the last 10 or 11 years, you can understand why they’d have to rethink the political aspect of it.”

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