Spotlight on Iraq emboldens Afghan guerrillas attacks against U.S., allies

Hunting down Taliban and al Qaeda members in Afghanistan was never an easy prospect, but concerns are growing that groups on the Pakistan-Afghan border that are opposed to the U.S. presence are getting bolder as the world’s attention shifts to Iraq. More than 400 American and U.S.-allied Afghan troops backed by B-1 bombers and helicopter gunships are now fighting the largest group of guerrilla fighters to surface in almost a year. “Clearly, there are people who have bad intentions, and they don’t like the way things are going here or in the war on terrorism,” says Maj. Steven Clutter, a spokesman for U.S. forces at Bagram Air Base, outside the Afghan capital of Kabul. Since December, there has been an attack against coalition forces, international aid groups or the Karzai government somewhere in Afghanistan every day. Mines and rockets have exploded near Bagram, Khost and Spin Boldak. In the capital, young men have thrown grenades at vehicles carrying soldiers of the 4,800-member International Security Assistance Force, which is trying to keep the peace in Kabul. Full Story