(AP/FOX News) The head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, told Congress on Tuesday that violence in Afghanistan increased 20% last year. "We judge insurgents now represent a greater threat to the expansion of Afghan government authority than at any point since late 2001, and will be active this spring," he said. He also said that Sunni Arab leaders hold no influence over foreign fighters operating in Iraq, including terrorists working for the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Maples said DIA believes local dissatisfaction with foreign fighters in Iraq appears to have grown, yet he said that tension has not hurt the insurgency's strength.
2006-03-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive