Top U.S. General: Taliban Rules 10% Of Afghan Population And Is Contesting 20% More

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

Long War Journal: US commander in Afghanistan downplays Taliban control of 10 percent of population

The Taliban and allied jihadist groups control 10 percent of the Afghan population and contest another 20 percent, the top US commander in Afghanistan said. General John Nicholson, the commander of NATO’s Resolute Support and US Forces-Afghanistan, characterized the fact that 30 percent of the Afghan population is controlled or contested by the Taliban as a “positive” development, as the Taliban is primarily operating in the rural areas of Afghanistan.

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