Can more American troops and a new strategy beat the Taliban?
A SURGE of American troops and a rethinking of tactics worked in Iraq. Can the same be done for the troubled mission in Afghanistan? As America draws down in Iraq, it is sending over 20,000 more troops to Afghanistan. A new strategy is also beginning to emerge after months of high-level consultations, and is due to be unveiled in the coming weeks by the Afghan government and the United Nations. According to officers in the NATO-led force, the first priority will be to reclaim the ring-road, Afghanistan’s main artery, around which the main population centres are concentrated. This route was rebuilt with Western aid after the toppling of the Taliban, but has become increasingly dangerous. The sections south of the capital, Kabul, are largely cut off by Taliban insurgents and criminal gangs. With more Western troops, and the training of a greater number of Afghan security forces, another aim will be to strengthen areas where the government is in danger of losing control. Forty such distri
