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US admits slow progress in Afghan war

Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus has described progress in the Afghan war “as slow as watching grass grow at times or paint dry.”

Petraeus reiterated that fighting in Afghanistan has been a tough mission. He, however, added that despite the setbacks, the United States has made progress on the ground.

Petraeus also claimed that foreign troops have gained the upper hand over the militants in the center of Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province.

“I think there’s no question that in Helmand Province, the six central districts of Helmand Province — are a good bit more secure than they were even six months ago,” he said in a television interview with ABC News on Tuesday.

Petraeus also told the US-based National Public Radio that operations in the strategic Kandahar Province would take time to bear fruit and that the effort had to be “Afghan-led.”

Despite the presence of more than 150,000 foreign troops in the war-ravaged Afghanistan, the security situation in the country has deteriorated over the past two years.

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan was launched with the official objective of curbing militancy and bringing peace and stability to the country. Nine years on, however, Afghanistan remains unstable and civilians continue to bear the brunt of the persisting violence and insecurity.

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