BAGRAM, Afghanistan — A top American general said Sunday that attacks along the Afghan-Pakistani border have dropped more than 40 percent since July and that the U.S. and its allies are making progress in the fight against the Taliban.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel said the decrease in insurgent activity along the border could be attributed to the onset of winter, a rise in insurgent attacks in Pakistan and an increase in communication and coordination among NATO, Afghan and Pakistani forces.
Recent media and analyst reports have said the international mission is not succeeding and that Afghanistan is becoming more unstable. But Votel, the deputy commanding general of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said Sunday that the international mission is making progress. He said that, by U.S. measurements, security has increased in 25 districts that American forces oversee in eastern Afghanistan, governance has improved in 12 and development work has improved in 27. There are 159 districts in the eastern region of Afghanistan where U.S. troops primarily operate.
