KABUL — The spring fighting season geared up this weekend with a war of words.
The Taliban announced it will begin its spring offensive today, pledging to attack military bases, convoys and Afghan officials, including members of the peace council working to reconcile with top insurgent leaders.
Saturday’s declaration came a day after a new Pentagon report claimed the militants were experiencing low morale after suffering heavy losses on the battlefield.
“The war in our country will not come to an end unless and until the foreign invading forces pull out of Afghanistan,” the Taliban said in a statement released by the leadership council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is what the movement calls itself.
Senior officers with the U.S.-led coalition said Friday that the Taliban — aided by the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network — has plans to conduct a brief series of high-profile attacks, including suicide bombings, across the country in a display of power. The Associated Press
