Taliban Gearing Up for Siege to Re-take Country

Intelligence reports from Afghanistan, including those of observers on the ground, indicate that the Taliban has regrouped and is gearing up for a massive siege, the goal of which is re-taking control of the country.

U.S. forces and NATO had forced the Taliban from power in the early days of the War on Terror, and many top Taliban operatives were either killed or jailed.

But those who remained jailed were freed from prison over this past weekend by a series of explosions planted by Taliban fugitives. The prison escapees were known Taliban operatives who had been trained as suicide bombers and head-choppers.

Since the prison-break, news reports from the region indicate that the Taliban has retaken areas in southern Afghanistan and is now gearing up for a massive, concerted effort to seize control of the country.

The State Department is denying these reports. Yet sources outside the U.S. and within NATO indicate that the U.S. and its allies are monitoring these developments with a wary eye.

Deposing the Taliban was a vital and important first step in fighting the War on Terror. And if this dangerous, extremist group comes back to power in Afghanistan, it would be a significant setback in the West's attempts to keep the lid on terrorism around the world.