News - Afghanistan

Some of the Afghan civil society activists on Thursday said that the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan ishigher than the US.

Activists believe that the Taliban have not been defeated at all and that their momentum is higher than the US in Afghanistan.

It comes as the US President Barack Obama in his recent State of the Union address said that the Taliban's momentum has been broken and that the remaining al-Qaeda operatives are scrambling to escape the US's reach.

He said a focused approach and the end of war in Iraq allowed the US to make "decisive blows" against extremist organisations.

"From this position of strength, we have begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. 10,000 of our troops have come home. 23,000 more will leave by the end of this summer," the President said in his speech to Congress on Tuesday. "This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America."

President Obama's recent comments have provoked reaction among some of the Afghan civil society activists.

Afghan activists are saying the Taliban are cleverly taking advantage of the atmosphere created by peace efforts.

"If the Taliban are really defeated, then what is this helplessness to hold talks? Peace talks are discussed when the two sides are fighting," Afghan civil society activist, Ajmal Baluchzada, said.

Residents in the capital Kabul also believe that the Taliban have not been defeated.

"How can we say that the Taliban's momentum is broken while we still witness explosions and suicide bombings in our cities?" a Kabul resident, Jawad Ahmad, said.

Hamidullah, another resident, said that the defeat of the Taliban is based on the US policies.

President Obama told Congress on Tuesday that al-Qaeda operatives were scrambling to escape US's reach. But Afghan activists disagree with Obama and argue that the al-Qaeda operatives are present on the battlefield.