U.N. Report: More Than 10,000 Afghan Taliban Killed, Wounded Or Captured in 2013

Insurgent group also failed to broaden popular support, report adds

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Bob Strong / Reuters

A group of men detained for suspected Taliban activities are held for questioning at a schoolhouse in the village of Kuhak in Arghandab District, north of Kandahar July 9, 2010.

The Afghan Taliban suffered staggering losses in 2013 with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 fighters exiting the country’s battlefields due to death, capture or injury a U.N. report says,

While verifying Taliban causalities is a notoriously difficult task, the U.N. relied on both government sources and the insurgent group’s own figures to calculate their estimate.

The U.N. report adds that the central government has faced increased levels of violence from insurgents this year, but the Taliban has failed to secure strategic gains or win more popular support in the country. Afghan authorities are set to meet later this week to discuss NATO’s future withdrawal plans.

[AFP]