Things are heating up in Afghanistan.

[icymist]

As I have been mentioning before, I believe the Taliban are gaining in strength over the last two years, enough so that they may have the ability to attack coalition forces every two days.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=744942&mesg_id=744942
Saturday, April 1st saw yet more attacks, apperaently injuring US troops:
Five US troops wounded in Afghan blast
ASADABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Five U.S. soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan on Saturday while, in a separate incident, a suicide bomber blew himself up in an attack on Canadian troops, military officials said.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=504832006

More on the attacks on Canidian troops:
(snip)
A suicide attack on a coalition convoy in southern Afghanistan Saturday killed the bomber but hurt no one else. A lawmaker was shot dead the country's north, officials said.

Security forces shot and killed an alleged accomplice of the suicide bomber as he was fleeing the scene on a motorbike, said Gen. Rahmatullah Raufi, the local army chief. A detonator was found in one of his pockets.
http://ap.emeraldcoast.com/stories/topstories/6_ds_738712.php

What I found interesting here is that one of the attackers was fleeing on a motorbike, which the Taliban have been using as part of recruitment payment.
(snip)
"A lot of this comes down to economics," Col. Vernon said. "It really comes down to the question of can we offer them better employment than what the Taliban are offering, which is a gun and a motorbike and payment.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=497d307f-b7ab-46cc-9914-3c892ad76685&p=2

The Canadians are now heading into an area of Afghanistan that can become very dangerous and I'll be praying for the safety of these troops as I would anytime NATO forces head into harms way.

Troops head into unknown Afghan region
Hundreds of soldiers secretly leave base to seek out Taliban
Richard Foot, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, April 01, 2006
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Hundreds of Canadian troops have returned to the mountains north of Kandahar this weekend, to begin probing a largely unscouted tribal district as part of Canada's continuing bid to root out the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.
(more)
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=497d307f-b7ab-46cc-9914-3c892ad76685&p=1

NATO troops are also 'beefing' up their presence by re-classifying significant American troops already stationed there. In May, NATO also will change Afghan command from the Italian General to a British General.

Jones hopes NATO can cover all of Afghanistan

By Paul Ames
Associated Press


CASTEAU, Belgium — NATO’s chief operational commander said Friday he hopes the alliance’s peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan will be able to complete its expansion to cover the whole of the country by the end of August, several months before previous expectations.

(snip)
Jones said the next stage — taking the NATO’s International Security Assistance Force into the east along the mountainous Pakistani border regions — could be completed within a month, since it does not involve mustering additional troops but entails simply “re-badging” U.S. troops already there.

(snip)
British Army Lt. Gen. David Richards is scheduled to take command of the force in May from the current head of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Mauro Del Vecchio of the Italian army.
(more)
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1657639.php

The Taliban should have been beat two years ago. It is the irresponsible that Bush has turned attention away from the Taliban and left Afghanistan to be cleaned up by someone else.

on edit to update story.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Time has always been or their side. By 2010 the taliban will be back

in charge & nobody will give a shit about it.