Taliban reaching farther, attacking more

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Emboldened Taliban fighters are attacking more and moving closer to the center of Afghanistan's government, intelligence analysts said.

An increasing number of attacks just outside Kabul show the Taliban is taking advantage of Afghanistan's weak government, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

"The Taliban's ability to sustain fighting cells north and south of Kabul is an ominous development and a significant lapse in security," said a recent analysis by NightWatch, written by John McCreary, a former top analyst at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

Attacks by armed opposition groups in the provinces immediately around Kabul increased from 139 in January to 405 in July, the Post said.

"These guys have the strategic intent to take back the country," Nic Lee, who analyzes security conditions for the European Commission, told the Post.

NATO and U.S. officials, meanwhile, continue to reject the idea that Afghanistan is sliding back toward Taliban control, the Post report said.