'Petraeus puts false spin on Afghan war'

General David Petraeus, the commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/184729.html

General Petraeus, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is trying to put a false spin on the Afghan war, investigative journalist Gareth Porter says.

Petraeus has said that 90 percent of the Afghans captured by US and NATO forces in 2010 were Taliban militants and not civilians, which is false, Porter, who is based in Washington DC, said in an exclusive interview with Press TV's US Desk on Monday.

"General Petraeus [the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan] focused on the special operation forces' operations, that is the kill and capture operations, to create a narrative line that he hoped would catch fire with the US news media. That is exactly what happened," he added.

"And of course the largest part of the picture that he presented in that narrative was false," Porter noted.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 and its troops withdrew from the country in February 1989, after a little less than nine years and two months of war.

The United States and some of its allies invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. The US-led troops have now been fighting in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet occupation and war.

2010 was the deadliest year of the nine-year war in Afghanistan, with casualties among civilians and foreign troops at record levels, mainly due to an increase in Taliban attacks.

As casualties have risen in Afghanistan over the past few months, public opinion has begun turning against the war in the United States and other countries.

Also, hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in US-led airstrikes and ground operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past few months, with Afghans becoming more and more outraged over the seemingly endless number of deadly assaults.

And this situation is adding fuel to the fire of anti-US sentiment in Afghanistan and the rest of the Islamic world.