Spring is here, and the Taliban are gearing up for the 2017 fighting season

How long have we been fighting these guys now?

Taliban Say They Will Focus on Vulnerable Provinces in 2017

Stars and Stripes | 2 Apr 2017 | by Phillip Walter Wellman
KABUL, Afghanistan -- When the Taliban officially kick off their new fighting season within weeks, they'll pick up where they left off last year: threatening several provincial capitals and stretching Afghan forces to their limit.

"There will be an increase in attacks in those provinces that are on the verge of collapse," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Stars and Stripes. While in the past the group had single units covering several provinces, Mujahid said: "This year, we have a unit for every province in the country."

The ability to control the capitals of Afghanistan's 34 provinces appears to be the barometer that U.S. and NATO forces use to measure success in the Afghan conflict. Occupying a capital has been a top priority of the Taliban, and some fear this could be the year they finally succeed.

[link to www.military.com]