ATLANTA: The U.S. Army general overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan said Tuesday that a series of brazen daytime attacks in the Afghan capital showed both the endurance and resourcefulness of Taliban militants in the country.
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, acknowledged the assaults near the Afghan presidential palace and other government buildings in Kabul were impressive. Monday's suicide bombings and gunbattles, which killed the seven attackers and five others, were the worst attacks in the city since October.
"What you saw yesterday was indeed some of these extremist elements showing the resilience and indeed a degree of sophistication in carrying out simultaneous attacks against targets of significant importance to the Afghan government," Petraeus told a luncheon of the Atlanta Press Club.
The attack sent a message that the mostly rural Taliban are prepared to strike in the center the Afghan capital even as the U.S. and its international partners rush 37,000 reinforcements to join the 8-year-old war.
Still, Petraeus praised security forces in Kabul for a quick response that limited civilian casualties in the attacks, which paralyzed the city for hours. Officials estimated 71 people were wounded, but most suffered light injuries.
"We also did see a substantial and effective response," Petraeus said. "It was impressive, but so was the enemy attack."
The general said the U.S. military is also beginning to see some progress in Afghanistan from the influx of fresh troops that's underway since President Barack Obama approved the surge last month.
Petraeus acknowledged the strain the Afghanistan surge is placing on U.S. troops, some of whom are on their fourth combat tours either in Afghanistan or Iraq.
A significant drawdown of American forces in Iraq - from 110,000 troops to about 50,000 by August - should provide some relief, the general said.
Petraeus said he still believes the Army can eventually increase to the time soldiers get to rest and retrain between combat tours to two years. Typically, soldiers have gotten a year to 15 months of "dwell time" between deployments.
