Taliban announce spring offensive, even as Afghan peace talks gain momentum

KABUL — The Taliban announced the beginning of their spring offensive Friday, even as the insurgents said the United Nations had lifted travel bans on 15 of their senior leaders to facilitate peace talks with the United States.

The announcements were a sign that though the peace talks are gaining momentum, with an Afghan delegation expected to meet with insurgents soon, fighting is likely to intensify all over the country.

Violence has gotten worse in recent weeks as the weather has warmed across Afghanistan, with each side killing dozens of the other’s forces every day. Last month, the government pre-empted the Taliban by announcing its own spring military offensive, amid Afghan leaders’ frustration over having been left out of the talks aimed at setting terms for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

Two senior Western officials said the government’s early announcement appeared to have been a mistake, with lower-ranking officials having released it without the leadership’s approval.

Also Friday, judges of the International Criminal Court rejected a request by the court’s prosecutor to open an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan and alleged crimes by U.S. forces linked to the conflict, the Associated Press reported.

The judges ruled than an investigation “would not serve the interests of justice” because an investigation and prosecution were unlikely to be successful, as those targeted, including the United States, Afghan authorities and the Taliban, are not expected to cooperate, the court said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch slammed the ruling.

Mujib Mashal is a New York Times writer.