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The Taliban in Afghanistan -- whose government was toppled by U.S.-led forces after the September 11, 2001, attacks -- has strengthened its military and technical capabilities even while suffering heavy combat losses, says a State Department report.

"The Taliban-led insurgency remained a capable, determined, and resilient threat to stability and to the expansion of government authority, particularly in the Pashtun south and east," according to the "Country Reports on Terrorism 2007."

The report's release on Wednesday coincided with multiple attacks. A blast targeting a NATO patrol south of Kabul killed an alliance soldier and wounded four others, The Associated Press cited NATO as saying. Roadside bombs also hit two civilian cars in southern Kandahar province, killing eight civilians and wounding six others, the provincial police chief said, according to AP. Read full article »

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