U.S. Marines conduct a dismounted patrol in Golestan, Farah province, Afghanistan, March 13, 2009. The Marines train and mentor Afghan National Police in Golestan and provide security for residents while conducting counterinsurgency operations. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian D. JonesInflux of U.S. Troops In Afghanistan to be Met With Rising Violence -- U.S. Department Of Defense
WASHINGTON, March 20, 2009 – The number of attacks in Afghanistan is likely to rise with the influx of additional U.S. forces there, an International Security Assistance Force commander said today.
An increased U.S. presence in the region will spur NATO-led pressure on insurgents and improve efforts to counter narcotics and makeshift bombings, Netherlands Army Maj. Gen. Mart de Kruif, commander of the ISAF’s Regional Command South in Afghanistan, said.
But the overall addition of 17,000 U.S. troops to the American contingent in Afghanistan will be met with increased violence at the outset of the plus-up, including a possible uptick in insurgents’ growing use of homemade bombings, the commander said.
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