KABUL — The Taliban vowed Wednesday to launch a wave of attacks in a spring offensive as a surge of American troops arrives in Afghanistan, a threat delivered on the same day that 42 militants were reported killed in clashes.
A U.S. military spokesman said the Taliban’s warning showed that the militants are worried by the rising number of international troops.
Mullah Berader, a top deputy to Taliban commander Mullah Omar, said the Taliban would unleash ambushes, roadside bombings and suicide attacks today against foreign and Afghan troops, government officials and “whoever is supporting invaders in our country.”
President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 more U.S. troops to the country to bolster the 38,000 American and 32,000 allied troops already in Afghanistan.
Given the influx, U.S. commanders have long said they expect a spike in violence this summer.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that he would send 700 more soldiers by July to boost security for Afghanistan’s August presidential election. But he said Britain’s troop numbers would return to the current 8,300 by November.
Australia plans to add 450 soldiers, increasing its force to about 1,550, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced Wednesday, saying Obama persuaded him to increase the deployment during discussions last week.
