Petraeus sees military progress in Afghanistan

NEW YORK: Gen. David Petraeus, the top US commander in Afghanistan, has claimed that his American and Nato troops in Afghanistan have made more progress than has been reported.

Speaking to The New York Times in an interview, he said in addition to progress in Afghanistan's southern regions, the forces have stopped or reversed Taliban advances in Kabul as well as in the country's northern and western part.

His assessment of an overall improving situation in the Afghan war comes ahead of his testimony before Congress next week. It would be his first such testimony since taking command in Afghanistan eight months ago and the first since the US troop surge and growing involvement by Afghan troops.

Under the general's watch, there has been a sharply heightened level of fighting, the Times said.

The report, quoting Petraeus, said US Special Operations forces and coalition commandos were involved in more than 1,600 operations in the three months prior to March, resulting in the capture or killing of about 3,000 insurgents.

"The momentum of the Taliban has been halted in much of the country and reversed in some important areas," he told the Times. "The Taliban have never been under the pressure that they were put under over the course of the last 8 to 10 months."

He acknowledged progress is slow with respect to issues such as the program to convince Taliban fighters to stop fighting and join a reintegration program.

An effort to train and install thousands of local police officers in rural communities to oppose the Taliban has also been slow because of steps to ensure the program doesn't end up making the militias become loyal to warlords, the report said.