McChrystal described a situation in which the Taliban and related groups are advancing, and said he needs more resources to avoid mission failure.

VOA: standard.2009.09.23

Riedel says U.S.and NATO troops are facing a syndicate of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan consisting of different groups like the Taliban and al-Qaida.

VOA: standard.2009.10.21

Richard Holbrooke, in a BBC interview, said a drawn-out process would benefit the Taliban and al-Qaida.

VOA: standard.2009.09.11

But in an exchange with Senator Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, Holbrooke acknowledged the additional troops could drive Taliban and al Qaida fighters further into Pakistan.

VOA: standard.2009.05.12

President Obama,in late March, outlined a comprehensive plan to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaida in order to bring security to Afghanistan and to construct a civil infrastructure.

VOA: standard.2009.09.04

Pakistan launched a major offensive in and around Swat in late April to check the Taliban advances in the northwestern mountainous valley, once a popular tourist resort.

VOA: standard.2009.09.11

The stated goal of the Afghan conflict is to deny the Taliban and its al-Qaida allies a home base from which to attack targets in the West.

VOA: standard.2009.09.09

Two security members were reported injured. In late April, Pakistan launched a major offensive in and around Swat to stop Taliban advances in the northwestern mountainous valley.

VOA: standard.2009.09.24

U.S.and Afghan officials say those same areas act as Taliban and al-Qaida safe havens for cross-border attacks, making them a crucial part of the Afghan insurgency's resiliency.

VOA: standard.2009.03.26

Congressman Boehner of Ohio. "If we abandon Afghanistan, it will return to a safe haven for the Taliban and al-Qaida to plan and execute more attacks on Americans,"

VOA: standard.2009.09.28

The president has said on numerous occasions that the key to combating al-Qaida and Taliban advances is a regional approach that includes three elements: military action,diplomacy, and support for development.

VOA: standard.2009.03.26

President Hamid Karzai, who unveiled his re-election campaign platform Monday, said if he is victorious he will invite the Taliban and other militants to a grand tribal council on the condition they first stop fighting the government.

VOA: standard.2009.08.10

"There seems to be a growing recognition that the Taliban and other miscreants, to use the Pakistanis' own word for this,are a threat to the entire country and are alien to the spirit of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and the founders of Pakistan."

VOA: standard.2009.09.24

"In Europe and also here increasingly in the U.S., they are talking as if we had basically lost it and the main question was talking to the Taliban and settling to some degree on their terms, whereas we still have not tried - and I think it would be worth trying for a year, at least,or two - to address the causes as to why the Taliban has become relatively popular, or at least relatively accepted,"

VOA: standard.2009.03.11

The attack was directed at a group of Taliban insurgents who had seized two trucks carrying fuel for international forces.

VOA: standard.2009.09.07

Two voters in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, where there is a significant Taliban presence, had their ink-stained fingers chopped off by insurgents.

VOA: standard.2009.08.22

In light of the Pakistani Taliban's alleged involvement, some speculate there could be a shift in US policy toward Pakistan.

VOA: standard.2010.05.18

The reporter,Stephen Farrell, told his newspaper he escaped during a fierce firefight between the commandos and his Taliban captors.

VOA: standard.2009.09.09

Army spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas, says security forces were able to intercept a phone conversation of Pakistani Taliban deputy leader,Wali-ur-Rehman.

VOA: standard.2009.10.12

In a statement released Saturday, the Taliban denounced the election as an "American process" and vowed to disrupt it.

VOA: standard.2009.10.24

A similar missile attack in the neighboring South Waziristan border region in early August killed Pakistani Taliban leader Baituallah Mehsud.

VOA: standard.2009.09.14

"That leaves Afghans in a limbo between a government, which is corrupt,and a Taliban that is extremely violent,"

VOA: standard.2009.10.26

"If the drugs ended tomorrow, it would not have a major effect on the Taliban source of funding,"

VOA: standard.2009.06.15

Pakistan's military has achieved a measure of success against Taliban militants in the Swat Valley and taken control of its main town,Mingora.

VOA: standard.2009.06.18

The Taliban has carried out a series of targeted assassinations against Afghans who work with or support the United States and NATO.

VOA: standard.2010.05.26

The Obama administration considers Pakistan key to its strategy to fight a violent Taliban insurgency in neighboring Afghanistan.

VOA: standard.2009.06.03