Nafisa Hoodbhoy, VOA: Analysts: Battle for Kabul Has Begun
WASHINGTON — Taliban attacks on two consecutive weekends in Kabul, which have killed hundreds of people, including Americans, have occurred in the midst of stepped-up efforts by the Trump administration to find a way out of the 16-year-old Afghan imbroglio.
While the Trump administration has doubled its troop level in Afghanistan to 16,000, the U.S. Central Command led by Gen. Joseph Votel has dispatched military advisers that are guiding Afghan forces to stay on the offensive before the fighting season with the Taliban begins in spring.
That runs contrary to neighboring Pakistan’s position, which says it has in recent times intensified its push for talks with the Taliban leadership.
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WNU Editor: At the end of last year many analysts were predicting that with the defeat of the Islamic State in the Middle East, the U.S. and its allies will then be focusing on the war in Afghanistan. This is now happening, and in response the fighting in Afghanistan has exploded exponentially. Here is an easy prediction .... 2019 is probably going to be the bloodiest year for casualties in Afghanistan since the start of the invasion of 2002 ... and yes .... the battle for Kabul has begun.
