Following the deadly suicide attack on February 17 on the outskirts of Kandahar which claimed over 100 lives, another deadly attack in Spinboldak near Kandahar on February 19 killed nearly 40 civilians and injured as many people1. The bomber had targeted a convoy of Canadian troops in the vicinity. With a car bomb exploding the very next day killing one civilian, Kandahar was experiencing the biggest spurt of such deadly attacks since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Reports noted that the rising levels of violence had claimed over 6,000 people in 20072.

The Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hilier on his part noted that the Taliban was targeting the Canadian troops to prevent the extension of their stay in the country beyond February 20093. Canada had about 2,500 troops in the country. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, addressing the media in Kabul along with President Hamid Karzai on February 21 stated that the militants were inflicting greater casualties in order to influence public opinion in NATO countries4.

• 1. “Suicide Attack Kills 36 in Afghanistan,” The New York Times, February 19, 2008, at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/world/asia/19afghan.html?ref=todayspaper
• 2. “Seven killed in roadside bombing in Afghanistan,” IANS, February 23, 2008, at http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080223/r_t_ians_wl_asia/twl-seven...
• 3. “Taliban sees Canada vulnerable for now – general,” Reuters, February 23, 2008, at http://in.news.yahoo.com/reuters_ids_new/20080223/r_t_rtrs_wl_us/twl-tal...
• 4. “Peace agreement revived in North Waziristan,” Dawn, February 18, 2008 at http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/18/top3.htm