'Haqqani network remains most capable threat in Afghanistan'
February 03, 2016  01:20
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The dreaded Haqqani network remains the most capable threat to US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, planning and executing the high-profile attacks, the top American General in the war-torn nation said today. 

Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General John F Campbell, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, said the al-Qaeda has been significantly weakened, but as evidenced by the recent discovery of its camp on the southern border, the group is certainly not extinct. "The Haqqani network remains the most capable threat to US and Coalition forces, planning and executing the most violent high profile attacks in Kabul," he said. Haqqani network, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks against Western and Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul. Campbell said 70 per cent of Afghan territory is under government control, while Taliban controls only two per cent.

"Of the 407 district centers, eight (or two per cent) are under insurgent control. We assess that another 18 (or 4 per cent) are under what we call insurgent influence," he said. Often, these district centers are in remote and sparsely populated areas that security forces are not able to access very often in force, he noted.
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