Taliban look for weak spots

Group’s spokesman: Reports of growing violence are untrue

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban has carried out a string of attacks near vulnerable provincial capitals across Afghanistan since May 1, a marked escalation in violence that officials say is a sign the group is testing for defensive weak points and assessing the government’s capacity to provide air support as U.S. and NATO forces withdraw.

The attacks are largely focused on towns in provinces where the Taliban has had a strong presence for years. In Helmand, Zabul, Ghazni and Logar, the Taliban hold much of the rural territory, with urban centers as islands of government control. Recent militant attacks have allowed the fighters to encroach closer to those capitals, overtaking perimeter outposts and villages.

Unlike other Taliban offensives in recent months, these have not triggered a barrage of heavy U.S. air support, according to eight local officials in those four provinces and others. In Helmand, the Taliban attacks followed the handover of a U.S. base to Afghan control. In Farah, a member of parliament said he began seeing an increase in Taliban attacks once American surveillance drones disappeared from the sky in recent months along with a small unit of U.S. forces stationed at a base there.

U.S. Central Command declined to answer questions about the lack of air support and referred to statements made by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a news conference Thursday. He said the withdrawal is the primary focus of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has not said when or if U.S. air support for Afghan ground forces would halt completely.

While it’s unclear how long the Taliban will be able to sustain the group’s current operational tempo, the continued assaults are eroding the morale of the country’s security forces, according to an Afghan official and Kabul-based diplomat. The official and diplomat spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Afghan and U.S. officials anticipated an uptick in violence following the withdrawal, and an intense diplomatic effort was initiated earlier this year to avoid such a scenario. The United States pressured the two sides to agree to a deal that included a cease-fire and a power-sharing arrangement, but it was unsuccessful. Talks are ongoing to reach a similar agreement before the withdrawal is complete.

The Taliban’s political office in Doha said the group has not issued any new military orders.

“There is no new decision from the leadership to increase violence or take provincial capitals,” said Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the movement’s political office. Shaheen said the reports of Taliban attacks are untrue and “politically motivated.”