According to the senior military officials the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan is expecting a major spike in violence include suicide bombings across the country over the next week as Taliban-led insurgents push back against perceived coalition gains. Military Commanders belonging to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Washington have trumpeted successes against a growing insurgency since 30,000 extra US troops were sent to Afghanistan last year in an attempt to reverse losses before the start of a gradual troop withdrawal from July.

The senior commanders in Afghanistan have long anticipated a spike in violence with the arrival of the traditional spring and summer “fighting season”, although the usual winter lull was not seen as US-led forces pressed their attack against insurgents, particularly in the Taliban’s southern heartland. They said that recent intelligence reporting signaled that the Taliban, supported by the Al Qaeda linked Haqqani network and other insurgents, were planning a series of major attacks across Afghanistan from Sunday.

One of the coalition commanders said that the enemy can generate indiscriminate violence but he can’t succeed. He added that they are expecting a big spike in violence over the next week. In 2010, violence across Afghanistan hit record levels, with military and civilian casualties the worst since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001.

The military commanders said that the anticipated Taliban campaign would not change the coalition’s counterinsurgency strategy put in place last year by US General David Petraeus would return to Washington by September to take over as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. This week US officials said that Petraeus would return to Washington by September to take over as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

In a big security shake-up, it was also announced that di0lomaticbn heavy-weight Ryan Crocker would replace Karl Eikenbery as Washington’s ambassador in Afghanistan.

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