Four ISAF soldiers were killed when an aircraft crashed in Zabul. A policeman killed two of his colleagues in Paktia. The Taliban announced the start of the Khalid bin Waleed spring offensive. The departing French ambassador had harsh words about the situation in Afghanistan.
Public uprising against Pakistani and Afghan Taliban in Kunar
40 Percent of Insurgency In 10 Afghan Districts: ISAF
The “Khalid bin Waleed spring operation” will include the use “special military tactics,” “collective martyrdom operations,” and “insider attacks,” against Coalition personnel.
Afghanistan remains source of terror: Nazarbayev
The Taliban killed 45 civilians in an IED attack in Kandahar. A policeman killed six of his colleagues in Takhar. A hail storm damaged 50 ISAF helicopters based at Kandahar Air Field.
Taliban set conditions to release foreingers held in Logar
Afghan Powerful Figures Facilitate Release of Arrested Kidnappers
ISAF commander General Dunford said there is “improved security across the country.” Security forces captured eight Pakistani Taliban fighters in Panjwai district in Kandahar.
Civilian casualties have risen by 30 percent over the past three months when compared with last year. Sixteen Taliban fighters and five policemen were killed in Faryab. The Taliban killed five children in a bombing in Kandahar. Turkey will keep some troops in Afghanistan after NATO pulls out at the end of 2014.
In the video, the children, some of whom appear to be no older than six, are shown firing handguns, AK-47 assault rifles, and a PKM machine-gun.
Taliban ‘little commandos’ in terror camp training video
NATO-Russia Council expands support to Afghan Air Force
Civilian casualties increased by 30 percent in Afghanistan: UN
An Afghan policeman killed three of colleagues in Faryab, then killed a Taliban commander and himself. The Taliban killed two ISAF soldiers in the east, four civilians in Kandahar, and a prosecutor, his wife, and three civilians in Faryab.
Afghan Diplomats Do Not Return, Seek Asylum: Experts
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader “coordinated operations between IMU and Taliban networks” and directed suicide operations in Balkh province.
The Taliban captured 11 people, including eight Turks and a Russian pilot, after their helicopter landed in Logar due to bad weather. ISAF killed a senior IMU commander in Balkh and a senior Taliban leader in Kandahar.
Pakistan Building Up Second Gate in Eastern Nangarhar
Taliban’s Promotional Activities Rise in Kandahar
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Abu Ubaydah Abdullah al Adam, a senior al Qaeda leader who serves as the intelligence chief for the terror group, was killed in a recent US drone strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
The Taliban killed six policemen in Ghazni, and a suicide bomber killed three civilians in Paktika. Security forces killed two “insurgents” while hunting for an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader in Balkh. Fifty-nine schoolgirls were poisoned in Takhar. The Taliban also mutilated two security guards in Herat.
Sharia court ruling: Taliban amputate thieves’ limbs in Herat
Afghanistan – Reduced security blamed for Taliban attack
The Taliban have deployed female suicide bombers at least six times in Pakistan and three times in Afghanistan June 2010.
No Deadline Set for Signing Kabul-Washington Security Pact: MOFA
HRW Concerned Over Condition of Afghan Women
The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office reported that Taliban attacks are up 47% the first quarter of this year as compared to last. Officials claimed 20 Taliban fighters were killed in Ghazni.
Afghanistan – MPs Call to Stop Releasing Taliban Prisoners
As US forces draw down from southern Afghanistan, the evolving IED tactics race enters its final stages.