By Ankit Panda
The Taliban have announced that their 2014 “spring offensive” will begin imminently.
Spring is in the air in Afghanistan as the Taliban warned on Thursday that they will launch their annual spring offensive next Monday. The insurgents vowed to fight on as the United States and NATO withdraw most of their troops from the country this year, only leaving behind a small contingent force should the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between the U.S. and Afghanistan, and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between NATO and Afghanistan, get signed. This year’s spring offensive is particularly concerning given that Afghanistan is currently undergoing a democratic transition — the first such transition in its history as a democracy — and new threats of violence by the Taliban could offset the confidence fostered by the elections.
Traditionally, the spring offensives have been the Taliban’s opportunity to “surge” against Kabul following a period of relative hibernation during the winter when most insurgents fall back to the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border. This past winter, the Taliban continued to stage attacks against the Afghan government well into the winter given that elections were upcoming. Just prior to the elections on April 5, Taliban insurgents attacked the Independent Election Commission, the Interior Ministry, and housing compounds. Additionally, the Taliban attacked civilian targets such as hotels and restaurants in an effort to create an air of insecurity in Kabul and other cities.
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