No hopes of America’s outright military victory in Afghanistan
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KABUL - A more aggressive U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has put the Taliban on the back foot, soldiers and police say, but bloody recent attacks in Kabul show the insurgency remains potent and a prolonged stalemate looms.
President Donald Trump in August unveiled a more hawkish military approach, including a surge in air strikes, aimed at forcing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
While Afghan security forces say the impact has been significant, the Taliban still roam huge swathes of the country and, with foreign troop levels at about 15,000 compared with 140,000 in 2014, there appears little hope of outright military victory.
"The American air strikes have broken their back," said Nasrullah a soldier in Kunar province on the Pakistani border.
"They don't dare attack in large numbers because they know they'd all get killed. Without air support we'd be struggling." - Agencies
