Pentagon's rosy report of Afghanistan war raises questions

[unhappycamper]

Pentagon's rosy report of Afghanistan war raises questions
By Anna Mulrine, Staff writer / April 29, 2011

Washington - The Pentagon’s twice-yearly report on security in Afghanistan paints a generally rosy picture of progress there – an assessment that raised eyebrows amidst a deadly attack this week that killed eight American soldiers and one American contractor.

However, the report, released Friday, also warns of some troubling trends that could impact the planned withdrawal of US troops this summer should violence continue apace.

One of these involves the levels of attrition in the Afghan National Army. If these levels continue at their current rate, which has increased steadily this year, “there is a significant risk” that the Afghan army will not meet NATO goals for projected growth, according to the congressionally mandated “Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan.”

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In a notable omission, the latest report does not contain maps that highlight the number of Afghan districts under Taliban control, as it had previously – resulting in much critical press coverage. In the same report issued one year ago, for example, the Pentagon report found that there was significant Taliban presence in 58 of Afghanistan’s 121 districts, of which seven had the majority of residents “supporting” the Taliban, and 25 had populations “sympathetic to the Taliban."

The senior defense official told reporters that that information is now classified, and that the current report’s “approach was to look at the broader campaign.”