Taliban, May 08: The Taliban announced a new campaign of attacks on “foreigners and their surrogates” in Afghanistan, just a day before President Hamid Karzai left for a crucial visit to Washington.
A statement said the operation would begin May 10 and would target diplomats, members of the Afghan parliament and foreign contractors, as well as foreign forces operating in Afghanistan.
“The Islamic Emirate announces this spring operation by the name of Al-Faath (victory), to be launched against Americans, NATO members and their surrogates,” said the statement, using the official name of the Taliban.
“The Al-Faath jihadic operations will start in 10th May 2010 this year to include operations against the defeated foreigners and their surrogates all over the country.”
Tactics would include bombings, assassinations and kidnappings, the statement said. It came as Karzai prepares for talks with U.S. leaders ahead of a major military offensive.
The US was pouring thousands more troops into the war-ravaged country ahead of a planned operation in the southern province of Kandahar, the heartland of the Taliban.
The militants continue to wage a nine-year insurgency against Karzai’s Western-backed government that they began when their own administration was overthrown by a U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.
—Agencies