Taliban Targets Attacks for Maximum Panic in Kabul

Incapable of large strikes, insurgents aim to strike fear into populace
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 27, 2008 8:35 AM CDT
Taliban Targets Attacks for Maximum Panic in Kabul
Afghan soldiers stand over the dead bodies of Taliban militants after they were killed in a failed ambush on Afghan forces southwest of Kabul, July 15, 2008.    (AP Photo/Rahmatullah Naikzad)

Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan lack the firepower to spark a massive attack, but they’re doing their best to wage psychological warfare on Kabul, Newsweek reports. Creating a sense of instability through frequent small-scale attacks, “we can create panic and undermine the last vestiges of support for the regime,” said a Taliban spokesman. Kabul threatens to become the "new Baghdad."

“The incidents in Kabul are few, but are very eye-catching,” said a security official. “The insurgents are attacking Afghan perceptions.” In recent months, insurgents have attacked a pricey hotel, a military parade, and the Indian embassy, killing more than 50. Meanwhile, rampant street crime is hurting the country’s economy as investors turn to more secure foreign options. (More Afghanistan stories.)

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