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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Taliban attacks on the rise with the end of the winter |
| 2005-04-03 |
| The U.S. military said Saturday that insurgents in Afghanistan are becoming more active now that the winter months are over. The assessment came a day after attacks killed five people and wounded five others around the country. Two people were killed and five wounded on Friday when a bomb exploded on a tractor-trailer in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, local officials reported. Also on Friday, three drivers bringing fuel from Pakistan for U.S. forces in Afghanistan were killed when they were ambushed by suspected Taliban members on the road from the border town of Spinbaldak. Two of the drivers were Pakistanis and one was Afghan, said the deputy police chief of Kandahar, Gen. Salim Khan. The U.S. military said it had been expecting an increase in attacks as the warm spring weather made it easier for militants to operate. ``The number and severity of attacks against Afghan and coalition forces has increased compared to the winter,'' a spokeswoman, Lt. Cindy Moore, said in a statement Saturday. Coalition forces had found a number of improvised explosive devices in the past few days, she said. ``This shows that some in the Taliban or other antigovernment insurgents will continue to try to destabilize Afghanistan through violent acts,'' she added. She appealed to the public to be vigilant and to report anything suspicious. The U.S. military says the 3-year-old insurgency waged by remnants of the Taliban government and other militants is on the decline overall. Maj. Gen. Eric Olson said in a recent interview that the insurgents were no longer capable of large-scale or coordinated attacks. The main reason, military officials have said, is the lack of popular support the militants have now in Afghanistan. The Taliban failed to do significant damage during elections in October and made few attacks through the exceptionally cold winter, yet al-Qaeda was still supporting them. Operatives were still capable of mounting small-scale ambushes and bomb blasts, Olson said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
#3 The Taliban failed to do significant damage during elections in October and made few attacks through the exceptionally cold winterAHA! The Brutal Afghan Winter® did materialize after all! I'm sure the Loony Left will claim vindication in 5,4,3.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-04-03 10:27:43 PM |
| #2 Economists have been using the concept of "corrected of seasonal variations" in order to get a clear reading of the situation (sales of bathing-suits will of course be higher in summer than in winter). It would be time for military to apply the same concepts. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-04-03 5:56:00 PM |
| #1 Operatives were still capable of mounting small-scale ambushes and bomb blasts, Olson said. Sounds like Peace Time in the Hemis. Things still gonna blow. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-04-03 5:12:12 PM |