A senior British military commander says roads in Afghanistan were safer when the Taliban ran the country.
Three of the six major roadways in central Kabul are no longer open; each closed after a major bombing targeting foreigners since the war began in late 2001. The latest closing happened in January, after a bombing outside a coalition base and the German Embassy killed four Afghan civilians and wounded 19.
McClatchy Newspapers, Jul. 24, 2009
Maj. Gen. Nick Carter told the BBC on Thursday that before the 2001 invasion, women could travel alone in the southern part of Afghanistan. He says "you could put your daughter on a bus in Kabul sure in the knowledge that she would get in one piece to Kandahar."
Carter, who controls NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, says this isn't the case now. He says British forces need to change that.
Carter says the operation is shifting its emphasis to ensuring public safety - rather than fighting insurgents. He says forces will protect the population where they live, and ensure freedom of movement on key roads.