Taliban says it will begin spring offensive in Afghanistan on Friday

Kunar province in Afghanistan.
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

The Taliban announced Wednesday that this week, they will launch their annual spring offensive against the Afghan government.

In a statement, the Taliban said it is "determined to prolong the ongoing jihad," The Associated Press reports, and will start the offensive on Friday. In previous years, fighting has increased between the Taliban and NATO forces and their allies in the spring as the snow melts. Over the past several weeks, there has also been an uptick in attacks across the northern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, with militants targeting areas that are usually not hit.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.