While security officials in Afghanistan predict more Taliban attacks in the coming spring, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced Wednesday to take pre-empt action against militants.

This year our ISAF spring offensive will pre-empt their plans and disrupt them just they are trying to get ready, spokesman of the alliance troops Richard Nugee told newsmen at weekly press briefing here.

He made this announcement amid Taliban threat to intensify attacks against Afghan and foreign forces based in Afghanistan in 2007.

Taliban commanders claimed recently that the hard-line group has prepared 2,000 suicide bombers to target Afghan government and NATO interests this year in the post-Taliban nation.

U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald Newmann also said last week that Taliban would increase their activities in the coming spring.

The Taliban has made incredulous claim of training an additional 2,000 suicide bomber against ISAF and government of Afghanistan. In reality they want to kill more innocent civilians by terrorist attacks than soldiers, the spokesman contended.

Clashes between militants and NATO forces had claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people in 2006,of whom were 1,000 civilians, while continued violence has left more than 300 people mostly insurgents dead so far this year.

"I am confident that the insurgency will not be as violent this year. There will still be some hard fighting but we are taking the fight to them and not letting them to rest," Brigadier Nugee emphasized.

Source: Xinhua