UNENDING WAR

Security Worsening in Afghanistan

As Taliban presence spreads.

Despite 30,000 new American troops arriving in Afghanistan, the country is reportedly more dangerous than it has been at any other point since 2001. Taliban fighters, after a surge of their own, are rampant in areas of the country that were once considered safe, and the United Nations considers 30 percent of the country’s 368 districts too dangerous for unarmed government employees. In August alone, insurgents launched at least 1,353 attacks, 723 more than they did during the same month last year. Experts believe the buildup of the United States’ military presence is to blame, leaving military officials with the conundrum of how to stem the tide of violence. “We do not support the perspective that this constitutes ‘things getting worse before they get better,’” said one humanitarian organization official, “but rather see it as being consistent with the five-year trend of things just getting worse.”