Eric Walberg: AfPak - Mutiny on the Bounty!

The Taliban began their spring campaign as a British lord put a price on Bush's scalp. Kabul was cast into chaos Sunday as the Taliban began their spring offensive with attacks on US, British, German and Russian embassies. NATO headquarters, Camp Eggers, a hotel, President Karzai's palace compound and parliament. "These are coordinated attacks that went just as we planned," Taliban spokesman Qari Talha told The Daily Beast. "This is only the start of what's in store this year and next for the Americans and Karzai." Targets across the country included Vice-President Mohammad Karim Khalili, airfields and police stations in three eastern provinces. About 20 insurgents were killed in the attacks, which injured at least 15 police officers and nine civilians. US ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker dismissed the Taliban's claim of responsibility: "Frankly, I don't think the Taliban is good enough," leaving unsaid who is. Crocker commended the NATO-trained Afghan forces, whose capability was "proven today by their professional and highly effective response in restoring order". A warning came from New Delhi's institute of Peace and Conflict Studies Director Dipankar Banerjee: "We"re only going to see an increase in these attacks. It helps the militants ensure political dominance in the new order as they slowly take over" Talha said that Sunday's strikes were just a preview of the fighting season to come. "We want to engage smaller numbers of well-trained fighters to make attacks on significant government, American and NATO targets." He said the mastermind of the operation was Hajji Lala, the insurgency's shadow governor of Kabul and its eastern-front military chief.