Afghan War Is Slowing NATO's Training Mission

Incoming Commander of Resolute Support forces and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General John Nicholson speaks during a change of command ceremony in Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 2, 2016. REUTERS/Rahmat Gul/Pool

Reuters: Exclusive: Fierce Afghan fighting slows NATO training mission - new U.S. commander

Intense fighting and unprecedented casualties suffered by Afghan forces in 2015 have put U.S. and NATO efforts to train a self-sufficient force behind schedule, the new commanding general in Afghanistan told Reuters on Monday.

The impact of the violence in 2015, and the changing nature of the enemy Afghan troops face, will form an important part of an initial assessment of conditions in Afghanistan being conducted by new commander General John Nicholson.

"This intense period of combat interfered with the glide slope we were on. The assumptions we made about our timelines, we have to re-look based upon the high casualties they took," Nicholson said in his first interview since taking command of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan last month.

"It wasn't just the high casualties, which require replacement and retraining," he said.

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WNU Editor: The Afghan war and the casualties that it produces are exploding .... a fact that NATO and the Pentagon did not anticipate and are now paying for it. On top of everything else .... Afghan President Ghani is painting a grim picture .... Ghani says al-Qaeda, Taliban and ISIS threaten Afghanistan (Khaama Press).