Afghanistan Attacks at Record High

Violence in Afghanistan is the worst it’s been since 2001, the US commander of forces in the region announced today. Insurgents staged more than 400 attacks during the past week, compared to less than 50 per week in January 2004, the BBC reports. Gen David Petraeus said allied forces are targeting the militants’ safe havens, which partly explains the spike.

But Petraeus also warned that “there is no question the situation has deteriorated over the course of the past two years in particular,” and said to expect “difficult times ahead." He stressed the need for US forces to be “good partners and good neighbors” and avoid civilian casualties whenever possible, which have been a significant source of tension between the US and Afghanistan governments.
(More Afghanistan stories.)