LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A top British commander in Afghanistan says troops are making gradual progress and militants are being forced out of the southern Helmand province.
Brig. Andrew Mackay, British commander of 52 infantry brigade in Helmand province, says the current security picture is improving in the region that was recently a hotbed for terrorist violence, the British Ministry of Defense reported.
"It's a much changed sort of battle space," Mackay said in a statement. "Clearly the retaking of Musa Qaleh has quite substantially altered how we can view Helmand and it's really a question of squeezing this insurgency to limit its effect throughout Helmand. It's quite a complicated area of operations. If you take say Lashkar Gah, Gereshk, Sangin and now Musa Qaleh that's where the majority of the population are based, the urban population of Helmand.
"Now clearly those areas are by quite some distance better than they were a couple of years ago and really what we're looking to do is secure the major urban centers of population. If you go into the more rural areas, yes there's a tougher fight going on and it's certainly less secure, but bit by bit as we establish our presence in those areas this insurgency is being squeezed out."
Despite the casualties British troops have faced, Mackay pointed to the cooperation the brigade is seeing from local Afghans and the improvements that the Afghan security forces are making in their capabilities of reining in on militants.
"Key is the gradual improvement within the Afghan National Army. Following on that is the Afghan National Police. I think everyone accepts that's got some way to go before it catches up with the ANA. But if you take the retaking of Musa Qaleh, the ANA played an integral part in that operation. That would have been unthinkable back in 2001."
