KABUL, Oct. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Remnants of the former Taliban regime have become more aggressive in targeting Afghan and US troops as well as pro-government figures as the militants have killed over 50 government servicemen and US troops over the past one single month.

    In the latest spate of violence, the militia assassinated a pro-government cleric in the troubled southeast Khost province besides burning eight US base-bound oil tankers in southern Kandahar on Friday. Moreover, skirmishes have been continuing between militants and the US-Afghan forces in the restive southern region unabatedly over the past two years.

    The Commander-in-chief of the 20,000-strong US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry in a pre-parliamentary election warning called on Taliban to lay down arms and join the peace process or face the dire consequences of military wrath.

    On the contrary, the militants have become more aggressive in targeting Afghan and US troops as well as pro-government figures as the number of casualties in Taliban-led militancy this year has almost doubled in comparison to last year's.

    Over 1,300 people with majority of them militants have been killed in Taliban-linked violence so far this year against 850 throughout last year.

    The main factor behind upsurge in militancy this year, according to Afghan observers is close cooperation among the remnants of ousted Taliban regime, al-Qaida associates and supporters of dissident warlord and former Prime Minister Gulbudin Hekmatyar.

    Taliban have also recruited foreign mercenaries and young seminarians to bolster their hit-and-run activities, the observers believe. Copying their counterparts in Iraq, they resorted to committing suicide attacks in Afghanistan.

    "Afghans have never committed suicide attack, even during worst days of resistance against former Soviet Union, suicide attack which is forbidden in Islam is a new tactic inspired by Iraqis," one observer said.

    He also was of the view that wealthy al-Qaida backers in the region including Arab countries have been financing the Taliban movement to push ahead with its agenda.

    Afghan officials have confirmed the report of entering Taliban and al-Qaida-linked suicide bombers in the big cities of the country including the capital.

    Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said last week that the country's law enforcing agencies were vigilant to foil any untoward designs.

    The war-torn country has witnessed five suicide attacks in lessthan a month with one of them in the capital city two weeks ago, which left nine soldiers dead, and 36 injured. Authorities put thedeadly attack on a Yemeni national.

    To strengthen the claim, Defense Ministry officials said that two Chechen nationals and one Pakistani were killed during a cleanup operation in Uruzgan the home province of Taliban's leader Mullah Mohammad Omar last week.

    Taliban militias have also claimed shooting down of two US military helicopters over the past one month and according to their spokesman one of them grounded in southern Zabul province onSept. 25 while the second crashed in Nuristan east of Afghanistan.

    Both the choppers, they said, have been downed by Russian-made surface-to-air missile of SAM.

    Taliban's former spokesman Mufti Latif Hakimi said that the militias had acquired the new advanced weaponry from black market.

    Over 200 US soldiers with some 82 of them in 2005 have been killed since launching Operation Enduring Freedom against Taliban and al-Qaida in October 2001. Enditem ¡¡