Afghanistan

More than six years after the ousting of the Taliban, violence and insurgency have intensified, and the scale of international support has also grown in Afghanistan, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said in a report to the Security Council. In the report entitled “The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security”, released on March 10, Ban praised progress made in the past few years in the war-torn country but warned that Taliban insurgents, narcotics and poor governance represent serious threats to “still fragile” Afghan institutions. (IRIN)