At the same time that Afghan President Hamid Karzai organizes a nationwide council to try to broker peace with Taliban insurgents, the U.K.’s senior military commander forecasts that violence in Afghanistan will get worse before it gets better.

After nine years of war and rising casualties, Lt. Gen. Sir Nick Parker is claiming “we are going up the hill into the enemy at the moment.”

And, while not to be snide, one must wonder what they were doing before — hanging out at base camp?

Also, check out this link to a report on Karzai’s attempt to diplomatically engage the Taliban. –JCL

The BBC:

Violence in Afghanistan will get worse before it gets better, the UK’s most senior military commander in the country has told the BBC.

Lt Gen Sir Nick Parker said progress was being made against the Taliban but it was “hard, slow and variable”.

“We are going up the hill into the enemy at the moment,” Gen Parker said.

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