Afghanistan's Seasonal Disorder

Spring has historically seen a surge of violence in Afghanistan as militants take advantage of the clear mountain passes to launch assaults. This year has been no different: nearly 100 militants, soldiers and civilians died in battles in Kandahar and Helmand provinces last week, while a suicide attack in the city of Herat killed a U.S. counternarcotics contractor. As the U.S.-led coalition prepares to cede control of the restive south to NATO forces by July 31, pro-Taliban militants are attempting to make life as tough as possible for the occupation's new leaders. "The Taliban is trying to break popular support for the mission in the home countries," says Brigadier Ed Butler, commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, frustration over the slow pace of reconstruction is helping the Taliban win support among ordinary Afghans. "Civilians are willing to cooperate with the Taliban because the government is not doing anything for them," says Colonel Mohammed Hussain, an Afghan Interior Ministry representative in Kandahar. And villagers in the south told TIME they are often as afraid of corrupt police as of insurgents. Says Hussain: "Corruption is like a pressure cooker which has reached exploding point. The government must take it off the gas."