Taliban fighters have shown no signs that they have launched a “dreaded spring offensive” against US and NATO peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan, German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said this week. For months NATO and US officials have said the Taliban would launch a dreaded major offensive on international troops after the spring thaw to continue their operations from last year. Yet, with nearly one spring month already past, no signs of any major military assaults have materialised. “No one can attest to any dreaded spring offensive by the Taliban,” Jung told Reuters in an interview earlier in the week. “There are, as in previous months, numerous local armed incidents and attacks, but no signs of Taliban involvement.”
But... but... they said they were gonna murderlize us?
There are approximately 40,000 peacekeepers in Afghanistan, 32,000 of whom are part of the NATO-led ISAF force. Germany has the third-largest contingent of peacekeepers in Afghanistan with around 3,000 troops in Kabul and the relatively stable northern region. Germany has resisted pressure to send troops to the less stable southern regions of Afghanistan. However, they have placed six Tornado reconnaissance jets under NATO command, which will gather intelligence in areas where the Taliban have a strong foothold.
Jung said reconnaissance flights would begin next week. “When the suicide attacks began to rise last year, I ordered an increase in the use of armoured vehicles and reconnaissance. Reconnaissance is the first step in protection,” he said. Jung said he took the Taliban’s threats of increased suicide attacks seriously but vowed that they would not deter Germany or its allies in their goal of helping the Afghan government restore security and stability to the country. |