The Taliban Have A Formidable Presence Throughout Afghanistan

U.S. Army soldiers rest next to a canal while conducting a patrol during Operation Helmand Spider in Badula Qulp in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 15, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez

We've Met The Enemy In Afghanistan, And He's Changed -- McClatchy News

KABUL — A decade ago, when the Taliban controlled the Afghan government, their militiamen — barely motivated, untrained conscripts — tried for five years to seize control of the entire country from more moderate forces but didn't succeed, even with the help of Osama bin Laden's Arab and other foreign volunteers.

Today, although the United States and more than three dozen NATO allies and other countries are supporting Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Taliban dominate a growing swath of territory, and their power trumps the government's in three-quarters of the country.

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My Comment: This McClatchy report outlines in a short and abbreviated form the formidable obstacles that exist for US/NATO forces and our Afghan allies. With such a pervasive presence, I believe it will be next to impossible to root out any significant portion of the Taliban from Afghan society .... a fact that I am sure the Taliban leadership are also well aware of and in turn are confident that in the end .... they will be victorious.