Photo Gallery The Taliban Attacks
The Taliban is seeking to demonstrate its ability to act in Afghanistan with bloody attacks. Four high-ranking NATO soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul on May 18. It was the worst strike against the US Army in months. Destroyed vehicles illustrate the force of the explosion.
This bus was also struck in the attack. For international troops stationed in Afghanistan, these images represent a setback in the fight in the Hindu Kush.
The Taliban insurgents have resurfaced in recent days in attacks that have, in part, been relatively well organized. On May 22, they struck the airport in Kandahar. ISAF soldiers and workers sought refuge in a bunker as the rocket and mortar fire took place. Around 25,000 soldiers live and work at the Kandahar Airfield base.
An image of destruction after an attack on a police headquarters in Kandahar on May 17. The Taliban's logistics appear to be functioning. "The attacks merely served to show their determination," one NATO analyst said. With their recent attacks, the insurgents have done precisely that.
The US is sending thousands of soldiers into Kandahar, a Taliban bastion, in order to restore the Kabul government's power there. But the insurgents have already begun their own counteroffensive.
US soldiers exchange fire with Taliban fighters in the hard-fought Helmand province. The insurgents seek to attack in ways that will create the most headlines -- and undermine any effort by the NATO troops to score even the smallest success in the region.
An American soldier lays in wait under the cover of darkness during a mission to catch Taliban fighters who fired on an outpost. The insurgents have drawn attention to themselves in recent days with several significant attacks.
Afghan police arrive on a road leading to the US air base in Bagram. A handful of insurgents attacked the largest US base near Kabul. Although the Taliban fighters didn't succeed in breaching the perimeter, it took hours before the US Army could stop the fighters.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (front left) with US and NATO forces commander General Stanley McChrystal (right). The pressure on the international security forces in Afghanistan is tremendous right now.
An attack on US forces during a patrol in Helmand province. The summer of 2010 is expected to be decisive for NATO's new Aghanistan strategy. Leaders of NATO member states want to see progress.
An attack on a NATO vehicle on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan on May 19. The NATO troops are facing difficult weeks and months ahead. They must prevent any attacks from happening during the so-called Peace Jirga at the beginning of June and the international Kabul Conference in July. Such attacks wouldn't bring any military success for the Taliban, but they would be a political disaster for the international community.
