''Insurgents, Warlords and Opium Roil Afghanistan''

The Afghan insurgency continues to burden U.S., N.A.T.O. and Afghan troops. The Afghan government and the powers that support it have been unable to eliminate the resurgent Taliban and Islamist insurgency that finds its support in the countryside. The insurgents are using methods of guerrilla warfare to target policemen, international workers, and U.S., N.A.T.O. and Afghan troops. The insurgents regularly set up ambushes and then retreat near the end of the ensuing firefight before military reinforcements can be called in. Additionally, insurgents are increasingly using suicide attacks and remote-detonated roadside bombs, apparently learning from the guerrilla tactics used by insurgents in Iraq.

While the United States and its allies in the 2001 Afghan intervention have had notable successes -- most significantly, the removal of the Taliban regime from power and the creation of a new democratic government complete with elections -- they have been unable to stomp out the ongoing insurgency that continues to shake Afghanistan's stability. In addition, they have failed to control the power of the warlords who run different regions of the country. The most significant reason behind these failures is the lack of military support and economic assistance provided to the Afghan government in Kabul.