‘Very Challenging Year’ for Afghanistan

According to NATO’s newly appointed chief civilian representative, 2010 in Afghanistan will see more violence and casualties, but will also mark a turning point in the fight against the Taliban. —JCL

The Telegraph:

The newly-appointed Nato civilian representative in Afghanistan has warned that 2010 will bring “many more” casualties and an “awful lot of violence” in the fight against the Taliban.

But Mark Sedwill, the senior British diplomat who will represent the coalition in non-military matters, predicted that this year would also see a turning point in the conflict, as Nato beefed up its strategy politically and in terms of its fighting force.

Predicting that troops would be fighting for between three and five more years, he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: “This year will be another very challenging year.

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Flickr / UK in Afghanistan

Mark Sedwill, center, former British ambassador to Afghanistan, visited soldiers there in 2009 before he was appointed to his current NATO post.