Taliban targeting government in Kabul, Obama accelerating Afghan withdrawal

Appearing in an interview earlier this year, New York Times Washington correspondent, David Sanger - the author of a book, which discusses among other things, the Obama administration's handling of the Afghan War - stated that although one of the President's goals in Afghanistan was to keep the [Capital] city of Kabul from falling, this "does not necessarily mean that other parts of the country might not fall into Taliban control."

Sanger added: "It seems fairly likely that a few years from now, we will see some parts of the country that are significantly under Taliban control."

A sad reflection on the President's Afghan policy, indeed. But, truth be told, recent attacks in Kabul do not auger well for Afghanistan's Capital either.

Suicide bombers and gunmen launched a seven-hour attack on the headquarters of the Kabul traffic police on Monday, local officials said, the second coordinated attack on a government building in less than a week. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault...

Violence across the country has been increasing over the past year, sparking concern about how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will be able to manage once foreign troops withdraw by the end of 2014...

Three traffic police were killed and four wounded in the [attack on Monday]...

"Honestly speaking, this type of attack, at the start of the year, indicates the coming months are going to be tough," a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Last week, a band of six suicide bombers attacked the National Directorate of Security (NDS), killing two of its guards. That attack followed a failed assassination attempt on NDS chief Asadullah Khalid.

Both of those attacks also occurred in the Capital city of Kabul.

Nevertheless, despite the increase in violence all across Afghanistan, President Obama announced last week that, beginning this spring, Afghan forces will take over the lead security role in their country - sooner than planned.

Related Post: Dianne Feinstein & Mike Rogers vs. Obama on whether the Taliban has grown stronger during Obama's Presidency