Nato admits error on Taliban report
2013-02-27 19:36
Kabul - Taliban attacks on Afghan and foreign soldiers
did not decrease in 2012 as reported earlier, the Nato-led International
Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said on Wednesday as it admitted a
recordkeeping error.
The Isaf "recently became aware that some data was
incorrectly entered into the database that is used for tracking
security-related incidents across Afghanistan," press officer Erin Stattel
said.
The Isaf reported last month a drop of 7% in the number
of attacks by the Taliban last year, which was used by Nato and the US military
to claim a decline in the Taliban's prowess.
After the correction, there was no change in the total
number of Taliban attacks from 2011 to 2012, the Isaf said.
Stattel did not disclose exact numbers.
She also did not say if other figures were affected by
the error as well.
"In spite of this data adjustment, our assessment of
the fundamentals of campaign progress has not changed," she said.
"The enemy is increasingly separated from the
population."
The Taliban remained undefeated despite a decade-long
effort by Nato and the US.
They still launch deadly attacks regularly around the
country, including the capital.
On Wednesday, a Taliban suicide bomber targeted a
military bus in Kabul.
Six army personnel and one civilian were injured.
- SAPA
