— The Taliban announced the beginning of their spring military offensive against the U.S.-led coalition Saturday, a day after a new Pentagon report claimed that the militants’ fighting spirit was low after sustaining heavy losses on the battlefield.
In a two-page statement, the Taliban said that beginning Sunday they would launch attacks on military bases, convoys and Afghan officials, including members of the government’s peace council, who are working to reconcile with top insurgent leaders.
“The war in our country will not come to an end unless and until the foreign invading forces pull out of Afghanistan,” said the announcement released by the leadership council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is what the Taliban calls itself.
Senior officers with the U.S.-led coalition said on Friday that the Taliban — aided by the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network — have plans to conduct a brief series of high-profile attacks, such as suicide bombings, across the country in a display of power as fighting gears up with the warmer weather. The senior officers spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss recent intelligence that lead to the assessment.
Lt. Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the coalition, said the Taliban planned to use the spate of violence as a “propaganda ploy” to try to demonstrate their relevance and create the perception of momentum despite recent setbacks.
