Taleban steps up attacks on Afghan forces since deal
KABUL: The Taleban have mounted more than 4,500 attacks in Afghanistan, marking a sharp escalation in violence, in the 45 days since signing a deal with the United States that paves the way for a US troop drawdown, according to data seen by Reuters. Two sets of data, one from a Western military source and one from an independent body, both show attacks by the hardline Islamist group up by more than 70 percent between March 1 and April 15 compared with the same period a year ago.
Separately, Afghan government data indicates that more than 900 Afghan local and national forces were killed during that same period, up from about 520 a year earlier. Meanwhile, Taleban casualties fell to 610 in the period, down from roughly 1,660 a year ago, as US and Afghan forces have reduced the number of offensive attacks and air strikes following the US-Taleban accord. Senior Western, Afghan and independent officials tracking the ground situation say that the increase in attacks shows the insurgent group’s wilful disregard of a pledge to reduce violence made as part of the accord signed in late February.
The violence in the war-damaged nation has coincided with the rapid spread of the coronavirus infection. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters that while the Taleban have adhered to a commitment in the Feb. 29 deal not to mount attacks on US-led coalition forces or major cities, the militants’ level of violence “is unacceptably high” and “not conducive to a diplomatic solution.” “We have continued to do defensive attacks to help defend our partners in the area and we will continue to do that,” Hoffman added. The four provinces that have reported the highest number of cases of the infection have also been the ones hit the most by Taleban violence in recent weeks, according to the two data sets and at least three senior Afghan and Western officials.
As of May 1, Afghanistan has reported over 2,335 coronavirus cases and 68 deaths, but international observers believe numbers could be much higher, given the lack of testing. “Taleban fighters are not hitting large government centers or cities, they are focusing on villages in Herat, Kabul, Kandahar and Balkh provinces that have reported the highest number of coronavirus cases,” a senior Western security official said on condition of anonymity.
Western security officials, diplomats and international observers said the Taleban’s strategy to slowly erode government control of rural areas and then position themselves to besiege cities during the pandemic could derail the peace deal.