IED attacks up in Afghanistan, down in Iraq

[CommunityEditor]

Iran’s commitments to stem the flow of weapons and explosives into Iraq “appear to be holding up” and have contributed to a sharp drop in roadside bombs across the country, a U.S. general said Thursday.

Army Maj. Gen. James Simmons, a deputy corps commander, said that in October, U.S. forces logged 1,560 cases in which bombs were either found and exploded.

That compared with 3,239 incidents last March, he said. The October figure was the lowest since September 2005, he added.

Meanwhile, Taliban militants have staged more roadside bomb and suicide attacks in Afghanistan this year, raising concerns that the insurgents are gaining strength and countering U.S. and NATO tactics.

Through October, the number of improvised explosive devices, including car and suicide bombs, totaled 1,932, up from 1,739 for all last year, according to military statistics. There were 782 such attacks in 2005.

Barnett Rubin, an Afghan expert at New York University, said the greater use of bombs in Afghanistan shows the Taliban is gaining momentum. The militants have recently moved back into some areas of the country, particularly those where Afghanistan’s lucrative opium crop has grown.

The insurgents have shied away from more conventional attacks. When Taliban members have tried to fight U.S. and NATO forces directly, they have been vulnerable to the coalition’s superior firepower and air attacks.

“They’ve gone back to guerrilla warfare ... because it works,” Rubin said.

The violence has translated into a higher death toll for coalition troops. At least 101 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year, compared with 87 in all of 2006, according to statistics compiled by the Associated Press. NATO casualties have also increased.

U.S. officers said they are making progress and the violence may be a result of their aggressive pursuit of insurgents in former Taliban sanctuaries. The number of IEDs declined in October, although fighting generally slows as winter approaches.

“We’re not ready to interpret what’s going on to say the Taliban are on the rise,” Army Col. Michael McMahon said by telephone from Afghanistan. “We think that might be true, but you can’t jump to that immediately.”



Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...ns_ied_071115/