February 8, 2006: Islamic radicals have tried to gain some
traction with riots protesting the Danish cartoons (of Mohammed, which
is forbidden in Islam). Some large demonstrations were held, but the
people involved were the true believers. About a dozen people have died
in these demonstrations. 

The war
against the Taliban goes on without interruption, and the Taliban
continued to lose. The Taliban has allied itself with drug gangs and,
to a certain extent, become one itself. The war with the Taliban is
largely a tribal one, with nearly all the Taliban coming from a few
Pushtun tribes in southern Afghanistan. These are the tribes that
dominated the Taliban when the Taliban was running the country. The
government is trying to get the leadership of these tribes to work with
them, and some of the tribal leaders are willing. But there are hard
core pro-Taliban factions in the tribes, who have allies with related
tribes across the border in Pakistan. As it has for thousands of years,
war and peace in Afghanistan is decided by tribal politics.

February 7, 2006: In the north, 300
demonstrators attacked a base run by Norwegian troops. The Afghans were
upset over drawings of Mohammed that were published in Europe. Four
Afghans were killed and several Norwegian troops injured. Meanwhile, in
Kandahar, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle tried to get into the
Kandahar police headquarters, but was stopped at a checkpoint. He
detonated there and killed 13 people. Several other Taliban related
attacks in the south left three dead. There have been eight suicide
bombings in the country so far this year.

February
6, 2006: Anti-cartoon riots in the north left at least five dead.
Police opened fire when they were fired on from the crown. Islamic
radical religious leaders use things like the Danish cartoons to
inspire their followers to acts of violence, hoping to acquire more
clout. It's the Afghan way.

Near
Kandahar, a roadside bomb killed six policemen. Elsewhere in the area,
a senior Taliban commander was killed as he tried to sneak in from
Pakistan.

A government amnesty program
was accepted by 172 Taliban and Islamic militant group fighters. The
men agreed to back the government.

February
4, 2006: Fighting continues in the south, as fleeing Taliban try to
avoid getting caught by police or American warplanes. Over forty have
been killed so far, most of them Taliban.

February
3, 2006: The Taliban massed some 200 gunmen near the Pakistani border
and attacked about a hundred policemen. But police reinforcements soon
arrived, along with U.S. warplanes. The Taliban were scattered, with
heavy losses. At least two dozen Taliban were killed, along with a few
policemen. Over a dozen arrests were made as well. Hundreds of local
villagers fled the fighting, as Taliban tried to hide in villages to
escape pursuing policemen.  Taliban fleeing back into Pakistan ran into
Pakistani troops and police, causing more fighting.