The Taliban may be involved in a wider skein of attacks across southern and eastern Afghanistan, leading to the current tit-for-tat over territory.
Afghan forces supported by NATO troops took control of Kandahar province’s Ghorak district from Taliban rebels Sunday night after fierce gunbattles that left some Taliban casualties, said provincial Gov. Asadullah Khalid. The Defence Ministry said three Afghan soldiers were killed in the operation and 11 wounded. Troops have set up checkpoints and were conducting regular patrols in the area, it said. It was not clear how long the Taliban had controlled the district, but insurgents in contested areas of the south frequently attack villages and drive police out for a few hours or days. Police reinforcements later return with support from foreign troops to retake the area.
In parallels with Iraq, the insurgents will strike against the weaker security forces and drive them out, before facing the superior NATO or coalition forces. The Taliban are reluctant to attack and secure territory for long periods, and have developed a taste for chaos and terrorism.
Another disturbing parallel with Iraq is the influx of Arab jihadists, now numbered in the low hundreds. The links between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are now re-emerging again, and this marks a further withering of the Taliban's aim for displacing the Karzai government. They have moved from a replacement for the western proxy to a terrorist jihad that no longer has the capability to hold territory. By allying with the Arabs, the Taliban no longer aim for popular support from Afghanistan.