New attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan deepen concerns of many

Two separate weekend Taliban attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan have deepened concerns over the terrorists making deeper inroads in the region, as the US-led Western forces prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, CBS said quoting senior Western officials.

In the latest attack on Sunday, a bomb planted by the TTP terrorists ripped through a truck carrying paramilitary soldiers from a Pakistan Army compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) bordering Afghanistan. Sunday’s attack followed Friday’s Taliban attack on a popular restaurant in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, which killed 21 people. The casualties included three Americans who were among 13 foreign nationals who were killed. The two attacks have come as security conditions in parts of Afghanistan appear to be deteriorating, more than a decade after a US-led invasion forced out the Taliban from ruling that country. Many analysts warn the US may be leaving Afghanistan too vulnerable, as it remains under the threat of the Taliban making considerable new advances.

“Today, I am afraid conditions on the ground are worsening every day,” said one senior diplomat in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News seeking anonymity. He said, for the US, the biggest emerging risk was to ensure a “fairly orderly drawdown” of the bulk of its troops from Afghanistan “without too much bloodshed.” His assessment echoed concerns from other western officials who in recent interviews, told CBS News that the Taliban may be positioning to take control of parts of Afghanistan as the US prepares to leave.

A senior Pakistani security official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity said, “The two attacks, especially the one in Kabul suggest that the Taliban are becoming bolder and their determination to fight back is growing.” Following Sunday’s attack, Pakistani officials warned that their country’s ability to negotiate with the Taliban appeared to be shrinking rapidly as the level of bloodshed increases.