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I had lunch with a British friend yesterday who swore to me, just swore to me that the Taliban were taking over many parts of Afghanistan again. This friend of mine had been a journalist for many years. I wondered what he could be referring to. Judging from this AP article, it appears that he's just totally incorrect:
KABUL, Afghanistan - Fierce fighting in recent months has devastated the ranks of the Taliban, prompting the rebels to recruit children and force some families to provide one son to fight with them, a U.S. commander said Saturday.
...Despite the setback — more than 500 rebels have been killed since March — the militants are likely to step up attacks in the lead-up to crucial Sept. 18 legislative elections,[U.S. Major General Jason Kamiya] said.
"The Taliban and al-Qaida feel that this is their final chance to impede Afghanistan's progress to ... becoming a nation," Kamiya said. "They will challenge us all the way through Sept. 18."
