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Afghan militants take page from Iraqis' terror tactics

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 2, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Toyota Corolla careened toward a military convoy and exploded into a huge ball of fire. This time, the bomb detonated too soon and the two attackers killed only themselves.

But the Taliban commander in Zabul province, site of Wednesday's failed attack, promised more and deadlier to come.

Once rare in Afghanistan, grisly suicide attacks and roadside bombings are a rapidly growing threat here as Taliban militants follow the lead of insurgents in Iraq.

Military data obtained by the Associated Press shows that 38 suicide attacks were recorded in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2006, compared with just 11 in the previous six.

Since June of last year, suicide car bombings have killed 86 people and wounded nearly 200, according to data from the U.S.-led military coalition.

The surge in suicide attacks in the past six months coincides with a renewed Taliban push against coalition forces to reclaim control over parts of southern Afghanistan.

Terrorist expert Rohan Gunaratna, author of Inside al-Qaeda: Global Network of Terror, says Taliban fighters have adopted Iraqi methods because they have seen how destabilizing the violence can be.

"We're seeing this in Afghanistan because the Iraqi tactics, in their opinion, have been effective," Gunaratna said. "Terrorists constantly learn from one another."

Afghan and coalition officials say the Taliban campaign marks this country's deadliest period since 2001.

At least 53 U.S. troops have died in the Afghan campaign in the first six months of this year, continuing an upward trend.

[Last modified July 2, 2006, 02:23:30]