By Kevin Zeese

The monthly average of armed clashes, roadside bombings and other violence in Afghanistan is running 39 percent ahead of last year’s figure, U.N. reported Wednesday, with more complex suicide operations involving multiple bombers and gunmen. The statistics show that the intensity of the nearly decade-old war is growing, not abating, as the U.S. and other nations start to withdraw some forces with an eye toward pulling all combat troops out by the end of 2014.