GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Petraeus predicts more Afghan fighting in 2011

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Army Times

09February2011 6:04pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: BRUSSELS — The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned that combat will likely escalate during the spring thaw as Taliban insurgents try to return to areas cleared by the international forces during the past several months.

“There’s been considerable progress in taking away from the Taliban safe havens,” Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with NATO TV aired on Wednesday.

“They have to fight back, they’re losing momentum that’s quite clear,” he said. “They know they need to regain that momentum.”

Last year’s surge boosted the international force to about 150,000 troops. NATO and President Hamid Karzai hope to have more than 300,000 Afghan army and police in action by next autumn facing a much smaller organized insurgent force.

The Obama administration and NATO plan to begin reducing their troop contingent in July, and to end its combat role by the end of 2014. (read full report)

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