Key Highlights
- Afghan security forces launched a major offensive and arrested at least nine members of Taliban militant group in southern province of Kandahar.
- Saturday 22nd August 2015, from the statement of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), the militants are now under custody of the authorities, detained.
- The detainees were involved with various terrorist activities in Kandahar including roadside bombings.
- According to NDS statement, the militants had confessed to their crimes in the early stages of investigation.
- Afghan security forces in the recent months have stepped up attacks against Taliban hideouts across the war-torn country.
Assessment
Towards the end of April 2015, there has been a major surge in violence across Afghanistan over the past months.
Taliban militants pledged to expand their campaigns against Afghan and foreign forces as part of what the militants termed as spring offensive.
Afghanistan has experienced insecurity for nearly 14 years. This is after the US together with NATO allies invaded the country in 2001 in war on terror campaigns.
The US-led offensive unseated the militant group from power, for many years the country plunged into violence, beset with armed clashes, frequent bombings and killings.
Summary & Forecast
Though the US-led combat mission in Afghanistan came to an end in 31st December 2014, at least 13200 foreign forces mainly from US have remained in the country in support for the mission. Insecurity continues across the country despite presence of thousands of US-led troops.
US-led NATO forces to focus mainly on counter-terrorism and training Afghan soldiers and policemen. The new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour has accepted oaths of allegiance from the al Qaeda affiliates except from the Al Shabaab, the support means increased insurgency against Afghan government and pro-government forces expected.
