Saturday, July 30, 2011 – During a surprise visit to Afghanistan, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen on Friday made an unannounced visit to southern Afghanistan amid growing violence in the region.
During his visit, Mr. Mullen said, the rise in violence in the south has been expected, but it’s not clear yet how the attacks will affect the area’s fragile governments.
While speaking with the reports, he said, he plans to talk to Afghan leaders during his visit about the surge in dramatic attacks and political assassinations in the south.
He also said, US officials are working hard to advise local leaders how to improve their own security.
Mr. Mullen’s visit to southern Afghanistan is followed as the violence have increased in various regions of Afghanistan, particularly in southern regions.
In recent violence in southern Afghanistan, the mayor of Kandahar was also recently killed in a suicide attack in his office, which was a second high-profile assassination in two weeks.
Taliban militants have recently started targeting high profile Afghan officials, President Hamid Karzai’s half-brother and the leader of Kandahar provincial council, Ahmad Wali Karzai, was the first key leader in the south who was recently assassinated by one of his highly trusted bodyguards.
Concerns among Afghan governmental officials have raised about the future of the situation in the south after the assassination violence has been increasing in southern Afghanistan.
Mr. Mullen is visiting the region at a time that he also has to assess the ability of the Afghan security forces after the first phase of security transition to Afghan forces.
Afghan forces took over responsibilities of seven areas recently including Lashkargah in the volatile Helmand province.
In the meantime, Afghans are concerned about ability of Afghan national security forces, fearing they may not be able to shoulder the burden on their own.
