KABUL – The Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive onWednesday, dismissing an offer for peace talks by President Ashraf Ghanibut pledging to focus on U.S. forces.

The announcement of the Al Khandaq campaign marks the symbolic start of thefighting season. Heavy fighting has been going on in different parts of thecountry and hundreds of people have been killed and wounded in a series ofhigh profile attacks in Kabul since the beginning of the year, despite Mr.Ghani’s offer in February for peace talks “without preconditions”.

The Taliban, in their statement on Wednesday, dismissed the peace overturesas a “conspiracy”. “Their main effort is to deviate public opinion from theillegitimate foreign occupation of the country, as the Americans have noserious or sincere intentions of bringing the war to an end,” the Talibansaid.

Targeting Americans

The militants said the campaign was a response to a more aggressive U.S.military strategy adopted last year, which aims to force the militants intopeace talks.

“Its primary target will be the American invaders and their intelligenceagents. Their internal supporters will be dealt with as a secondarytarget,” the Taliban said.

Thousands of more U.S. troops have been sent to Afghanistan to help trainthe Afghan Army, and commanders have been given greater authority to carryout air strikes against the militants in a major reversal of the previouspolicy of phased withdrawal of American forces. As in previous years, theTaliban pledged to protect the lives of civilians, and made no mention ofincidents such as an attack it claimed in Kabul in January in which anexplosives-packed ambulance blew up, killing about 100 people.

However, the announcement underlines the risk to parliamentary and districtcouncil elections due to be held in October. The Pentagon estimates that56% of the country is under government control, while a BBC survey thisyear estimated the insurgents were active in 70% of the country. – Agencies