The U.S. military plans to focus increasingly on Afghanistan’s lawless south and east in a bid to counter resurgent Islamic militants who carried out their first deadly attacks on government forces in weeks. Lieutenant-General David Barno, the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said on Sunday civilian-military teams would be deployed in the most volatile regions near the Afghan-Pakistan border to ensure stability ahead of elections next year. “Over the next several months we’re going to be continuing to expand the number of PRTs (Provincial Reconstruction Teams) here, particularly in the area of the south and the east of the country,” Barno told reporters in Kabul. “Our challenges down there clearly are with the terrorist groups.” Much of the south and east of Afghanistan is off limits for aid workers after a string of attacks blamed on members of the ousted Taliban regime, al Qaeda and their militant allies. Full Story
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