Commander: Attacks on Afghanistan, Pakistan border are down 40 percent

[unhappycamper]

Commander: Attacks on Afghanistan, Pakistan border are down 40 percent
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, February 27, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. — Attacks against U.S. and Afghan troops at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan have dropped by 40 percent since summer, a top U.S. commander said Tuesday.

Attacks always drop in Afghanistan in winter, Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-82 told Pentagon reporters during a briefing from Bagram air base.

But Rodriguez said this is the first time since U.S. troops began working in Afghanistan that the number of January border attacks were this low.

Rodriguez, who also commands the 82nd Airborne Division, attributed the relative quiet not only to cold weather but also to the improving capabilities of the Afghan National Army, including the Afghan Border Police.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, Pakistan’s military is continuing to focus on counterterrorism and border protection, Rodriguez said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52847