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GUEST: Pervez Hoodbhoy, peace activist, Professor of Physics at Qaid-e-Azam University

The war in Afghanistan has intensified, becoming a more dangerous place for troops to serve than even Iraq. More US and NATO soldiers were killed in Afghanistan than Iraq in the second month in a row – a clear indication that the Taliban and their allies are rapidly gaining strength. Last month the Taliban staged a jailbreak that resulted in freeing nearly a thousand prisoners – they briefly took over a strategic valley outside Kandahar. Attacks attributed to the Taliban are already up 40% this year from 2007, particularly along the border region with Pakistan. NATO and US troops killed dozens of people they label “militants” or “insurgents” in the border region. These type of actions have ignited a nationalist spirit among Pakistanis in support of the Taliban and against the US. Pakistan is widely thought to be a training ground for the Taliban who slip in unhindered between the two countries. NATO spokesman Mark Laity remarked last week, “We know that as long as the insurgents operate safely on the Pakistan side of the border, then there can not be security in Afghanistan.” Earlier in the month, Afghan president Hamid Karzai threatened to send troops into Pakistan to target Taliban bases there.