U.S. sees more Afghan violence as NATO expands

reuters: The United States expects violence to increase in Afghanistan this year as NATO forces and the government push their authority into lawless areas infested by insurgents and drug gangs, a U.S. official said on Monday.

NATO members, including Britain, Canada and the Netherlands, are sending thousands of troops into the south as the alliance prepares to take over peacekeeping duties across the country.

"One of the unfortunate -- maybe inevitable -- side effects of that is we'll probably see a rise in violence this year as NATO spreads into these areas in a more dense fashion, as the insurgents try to test the new forces, as the government takes on the narcotics traffickers," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher told reporters. Read more