Over the weekend, Taliban bombers and attackers launched their spring offensive with a series of coordinated attacks on Afghan government offices in Kabul and across three eastern provinces. Dozens of fighters assaulted NATO bases, embassies, the Afghan parliament and other government buildings with suicide attacks, rockets and gunfire. In all, the attack lasted more than five hours. NATO forces called the assault “largely ineffective” – saying it caused only “light casualties” to Afghan units. Still, Peter Galbraith, former UN deputy special representative, for Afghanistan says the Taliban’s onslaught emphasizes just how vulnerable the capital has become – and casts new doubts on NATO’s transition plans.
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