Fruits of the drizzle

Remember back in August when General McCrystal asked the Obama administration for some more resources to fight the war in Afghanistan and we were told by the administration and the talking heads that there was no reason to rush a decision because winters were calm and the Taliban didn’t fight in the winter.

Well, tell me what this is;

An attack in which the Taliban claimed to have infiltrated key government sites in central Kabul killed five people on Monday morning, hospital officials said.

Thirty-eight other people were injured, said Dr. Kabir Amiri, head of Kabul hospitals. Afghan security forces were among the casualties, he added, without clarifying.

At least two explosions and gunfire shook central Kabul about 9:20 a.m. Monday, with the Taliban saying it was conducting a militant operation.

The attack started as 14 members of Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s Cabinet were to be sworn in, said Parliament member Fawzia Koofi.

About 20 Taliban insurgents entered the presidential palace; the ministries of finance, mines and justice; and the Serena Hotel, said spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. The militants claimed responsibility for at least one explosion.

Surprise, the Taliban read the newspapers, too. Last month, the military announced that the “drizzle” of troops won’t be in place until August, that no one is in a big hurry to put forces in the war. So who is surprised that the Taliban took advantage of that?