Taliban picking on Brits

Independent:

British troops fighting the Taliban are facing three times as many attacks as any other Nato force in Afghanistan amid spiralling violence across the country which has seen insurgent bombings and shootings rise by 73 per cent.

Official Nato figures reveal that fatalities among the international force, including British, have risen by 78 per cent while the targeting of officials serving the beleaguered Afghan government has increased by 64 per cent.

The details of the ferocity of the conflict emerged as Nato ministers meeting in the Netherlands acknowledged that the tide must be turned in the conflict. The US Defence Secretary Robert Gates stressed the urgent need to "shift the momentum", saying "the patience of the American people and Congress would wear pretty thin... if in a year or so it appears we are in a stalemate and we're taking even more casualties".

General David Petraeus, the US commander in charge of Afghan operations, pointed out that violence reached an all-time high last week. He bluntly said that there was no question that security had deteriorated over the past two years and that "there are still tough times ahead" as the country prepares for national elections in August.

The figures from the International Security and Assistance Force chart the level of violence between January and March this year compared with the same period last year. It shows that the use of improvised explosive devices – bombs and mines – rose by 87 per cent, causing 60 per cent of casualties.

Senior military sources said the main reason for the sharp rise in violence was that the Taliban had continued their missions through winter, traditionally the time for a break in fighting. Insurgent attacks have continued since and British forces suffered 12 deaths in May, the second highest month for British fatalities in the conflict.

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I think this reflects al Qaeda's move of its operations from Iraq to Afghanistan. It is also driving the Taliban tactics to IEDs from their failed strategy of ambushing convoys and then getting wiped out by air attacks. Britain is operating in the area where the Taliban money crop of opium is also located. The Brits will have some US Marines in the area soon to take over some of the space the Taliban are trying to dominate.