WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's Taliban is in "desperate straits" but remains capable of regrouping, a top U.S. general said Thursday.
Some mid-level Taliban officials have approached others in Afghanistan about some kind of reconciliation, said Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command.
"So there are hopeful signs that people want to get on with a better future in Afghanistan. But these are dangerous foes," Abizaid said.
Al-Qaida, the terrorist organization, is likewise under pressure.
"But both the Taliban and al-Qaida are resilient, and they are dangerous," he said.
Abizaid said the United States is dangerously short of intelligence professionals with languages and skills in his area.
"We do not have enough intelligence professionals in our nation. We must increase our HUMINT (human intelligence) capacity. We must increase our ability to have translators and interrogators in the field. And to me, as we fight this global war on terrorism, if we don't do that, we are putting the nation at risk."
