Editorial: Taleban still a serious threat

A senior Taleban commander has recently announced that the insurgents will step up attacks on Afghan and NATO forces during the coming Afghan year [beginning in March 2006]. The commander said 600 suicide bombers had been trained. It is not the first time that the Taleban have tried to intimidate the Afghan government, and there have been similar threats in the past. The Taleban have carried out dozens of suicide attacks in Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar and other provinces during the past Afghan year, but without marked success - most of the victims have been civilians. Over the past year, the Taleban have received support not just from certain political factions in Pakistan, but also from extremist groups in the Middle East. As Pakistan has begun cracking down on the Taleban and al-Qaeda, the Taleban insurgents have now resorted to suicide attacks. The Afghan government should spare no effort in stopping the suicide bombers.