Context
US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan are responding to the Taliban’s spring offensive with air raids targeting border regions that have been serving as a hideout for the militants. Usually, the Taliban launch fresh attacks against the coalition forces in spring every year after spending winters in the lawless border regions of neighboring Pakistan. The spring offensive suggests more fighting and more IEDs. NATO wants to grasp the initiative this year, by deploying forces along the insurgents’ supply lines, particularly in Bermel and other border regions.
