World Watch: Troubles ahead in Afghanistan
Even as concern grows about the progress of the war in Iraq, U.S. and foreign officials have begun to warn that trouble lies ahead on another battlefront: Afghanistan.
The insurgency that appeared to be on the decline now seems to be regrouping and adapting some of the techniques—namely the use of so-called improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—that are causing so much bloodshed in Iraq. Since March, rebel attacks have increased, with some of the deadliest fighting seen since 2001 when U.S.-led forces waged war to remove the Taliban regime. The rash of violence, which has included suicide bombings and kidnappings, has prompted concerns about the country's future.
While the Bush administration hails last October's election of Hamid Karzai and his creation of a new multiethnic governing cabinet, the violence may challenge Karzai's already constrained ability to govern. U.S. officials say they now expect to see more violence in the summer months intended to disrupt the parliamentary elections scheduled for September.
"The enemy continues to wage a war of attrition, with the hope that the international community will grow weary and eventually leave," Lt. Gen. Walter Sharp, director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a congressional hearing on Afghanistan. "As the election approaches, al Qaeda and Taliban will attempt to increase the level and frequency of their attacks."
Afghan and Pakistani intelligence sources warn of potential al Qaeda suicide attacks in southern and southeastern Afghanistan, possibly targeting Taliban dissidents who plan to take part in the elections.
The recent violence has also been bad news for diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Afghan officials charging that Pakistan isn't doing enough to stem the tide of militants crossing the border. Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, telephoned Karzai, last Thursday to offer assurances that Pakistan is doing all it can to stop insurgents from crossing the border, according to Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. –with Aamir Latif in Pakistan