Kabul clerics rally behind Taliban [View All]

[CHIMO]

Urge worshippers to `pick up a gun' against government

Death toll from surge in violence surpasses 190 over 5 days

KABUL—Clerics in Kabul mosques are urging worshippers to join the Taliban's fight against the Afghan government and international troops.

Insurgency has spread recently, with many provinces falling under control of Islamists intent on driving out foreign forces. Encouraged by this growing militancy, some imams here believe the time is right to call for holy war.

"The only thing (people) can do is fight against the government and I am telling them they can do that. They can pick up a gun and fight against the government," said Abdullah, a 52-year-old imam wary of giving his full name for fear of reprisals.

Support for the militant Islamist Taliban traditionally comes from the conservative, Pashtun-dominated south and east. Attacks against security forces are common in provinces near the Pakistan border but had been rare elsewhere.

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