Afghanistan's Insurgency Endures

The insurgency in Afghanistan is mushrooming, and targeting the refurbished highway that provides a weak connection between the country's ethnic halves, the New York Times reports. A series of deadly attacks in June has exposed the tribulations of the United States' 6-year-old effort to defeat the Taliban.

The provinces surrounding the Afghan capital have grown more unstable in recent months as local government and police units fail to assert control over the region, and the international military presence remains undermanned. And the country's most important supply route—a symbol of US commitment to the country—is riddled with IEDs and constantly ambushed.