KABUL, Afghanistan — American military successes in Iraq have prompted growing numbers of well-trained “foreign fighters” to join the insurgency in Afghanistan instead, the Afghan defense minister said Tuesday.
The minister, Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak, said the flow of insurgents had contributed to the heightened intensity of recent fighting, which he described as the “worst” since U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government in 2001.
American commanders have noted that some militant Islamic websites have been encouraging fighters to go to Afghanistan rather than Iraq.
The NATO command said three coalition soldiers were killed Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb. In Kandahar, two gunmen on a motorbike killed the chief of the province’s social affairs department. A NATO statement said his duties had included helping disabled people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
The New York Times
