by Abdul Wali Arian
General John Nicholson, commander of U.S and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has said that poor leadership is the number one cause of the current military fatality rate among the conventional forces in Afghanistan.
He also said that young Afghan officers battling insurgents in some remote regions continue to grapple with major issues such as food shortages and lack of ammunition.
In reference to the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan, the top U.S commander stated that Daesh outfits have ramped up efforts to establish their so-called Khorasan Caliphate in Afghanistan by seeking support from an Uzbek military group known as Uzbekistan Islamic Movement and with the combination of some Pakistani militants loyal to the hardline militant group.
Nicholson noted that the Taliban and its brutal offshoot, the Haqqani network still operate in their safe havens inside the Pakistani territory and they have sanctuaries in that country.
The Taliban and Haqqani "still enjoy sanctuary in Pakistan," Nicholson said, adding that they are still able to conduct operations from there.
In Afghanistan, the main-hub of Daesh militants is estimated to be around 1,000 fighters and is in eastern Nangarhar province, which shares a border with Pakistan.
Nicholson said the US has seen many foreign fighters joining Daesh in Afghanistan, particularly Uzbeks from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Pashtuns from the Pakistani Taliban.
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