Associated Press

Kabul, July 24:

Fierce fighting in recent months has devastated the ranks of the Taliban, prompting the rebels to recruit children and force some families to provide one son to fight with them, a US commander said. The fighting has fractured the Taliban’s command structure, preventing the militants from regrouping, even though there has been an upsurge in violence, Maj Gen Jason Kamiya, the US military operational commander in Afghanistan, told AP in an interview yesterday. Militants are likely to step up attacks in the lead-up to crucial September 18 legislative elections, he said. Kamiya said the rebels were desperately trying to recruit new fighters to replace those killed recently, and has even forced families in some areas “to give up one son to fight.” “They have been hit so hard they are recruiting younger and younger fighters,” he said.