Increased Violence in Afghanistan

The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan appear to be adopting new tactics, resulting in a disturbing upswing in violence in the country:

The recent attacks -- including at least nine suicide bombings -- have shown unusual levels of coordination, technological knowledge and blood lust, according to officials. Although military forces and facilities have been the most common targets, religious leaders, judges, police officers and foreign reconstruction workers have also fallen prey to the violence.

While the Taliban have always targeted foreign aid workers, they are now adopting tactics more commonly seen in Iraq and benefitting from the availability of more sophisiticated explosives and weaponry:

The attacks have been particularly noteworthy for their use of suicide bombers. Some have struck in waves, with one explosive-laden car following the next in an effort to maximize casualties. That sort of attack has been a hallmark of al Qaeda and a regular occurrence in Iraq. But in Afghanistan, suicide attacks of any kind have been relatively rare, despite a quarter-century of warfare.

Afghan officials said the recent attacks demonstrate that the Taliban fighters are continuing to receive considerable outside assistance, such as advanced explosives and computerized timing devices that are being used to build more devastating bombs.

U.S. and Afghan officials are concerned over these developments, but appear to be at a loss to explain them other then to speculate that the Taliban are possibly receiving foreign aid of some kind. Who would be aiding them and why is still question.

These developments are certainly worrisome. While the Taliban have never enjoyed wide support since their fall from power in 2001, they persist despite the billions being spent on reconstruction and the existence of an international coalition to enforce the peace. Overall the situation in Afghanistan doesn't begin to compare to the situation in Iraq. However, 9o American soldiers have died in Afghanistan this year; double the number from 2004. And many of those have come in road-side bomb attacks like the ones in Iraq. For the Taliban, the adoption of such a tactic is cheap and easy way to make the conflict costlier for our troops, at no cost to themselves in casualties. Given how long it's been since the Taliban were ousted, the fact that they are now adopting more deadly tactics is a sign not only that they are not being diminished, but rather that they may be growing in strength.