The Taliban Continue To Strengthen

It seems like the Taliban have taken their cue from the insurgency in Iraq.

(Reuters) - The Taliban are gaining strength in parts of Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, after a week of the heaviest fighting in years killed about 300 people.

"There's no doubt that the Taliban have grown in strength and influence in certain areas in Kandahar, Helmand and in southern Uruzgan," U.S. military spokesman Colonel Tom Collins told a briefing, referring to three southern provinces

Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan has limited amounts of U.S. and coalition forces or "Peacekeepers", which then creates safe or green zones. While the outskirts become home to the Taliban and Al Qaida

While the Taliban have not been able to seize and hold territory, deteriorating security has disrupted aid and reconstruction work across ever larger parts of the country.

Aid and government workers are increasingly confined to the safety of provincial capitals while bands of Taliban roam the countryside, attacking police posts, ambushing convoys and clashing with security forces.