Armitage says Taliban vicious because "frightened"

The Afghan government and the United States yesterday played down Afghanistan's bloodiest period since the Taliban fell, with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage saying recent attacks showed the militants were "frightened".

Speaking after meetings with officials in the restive southern province of Kandahar and President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Armitage said he had witnessed "fantastic changes" since his last visit to the country in May.

Asked about a recent upsurge in militant and factional violence which has seen more than 300 people, including aid workers, US soldiers and many Taliban guerrillas killed since the start of August, he told a news conference:

"I think what you are witnessing is a Taliban that is frightened, they see the writing on the wall, that's why they are attacking so viciously these great signs of progress for the people of Afghanistan."

Afghan Foreign Minister Dr Abdullah said Afghanistan still had problems with security, but the incidents that had occurred often presented a false picture of the overall situation.

He said there had been great improvements since two years ago, when Afghanistan was the centre of global destabilisation and a home to al Qaeda, the organisation blamed for the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

"If elements of the Taliban and al Qaeda are trying to hit back one way or another, that shouldn't be perceived as a lack of improvement in the security situation," he said.