Fatalities as Taliban attacks Kandahar

NEW: Schools used as Taliban shooting positions, officials saidNEW: Karzai claims attacks were revenge for Osama bin Laden's deathAn unknown number of people were killed in the violenceThe Taliban targeted the provincial governorThe attack is part of the group's spring offensive

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Militants staged attacks on government buildings in the restive southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday, a brazen Taliban onslaught designed to seize or kill the provincial governor.

A National Directorate of Security official, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told CNN that an unknown number of people were killed and 30 others, including civilians, were wounded.

The Taliban -- which claimed responsibility for the strikes -- said the assault is part of its Bader operation, the codename for the group's spring offensive launched last week.

"This operation is a part of the Bader seasonal operation and the aim of this was to arrest or kill the governor of the Kandahar, and demoralize the Afghan and international forces in Afghanistan," Taliban spokesman Qari Yousof Ahmadi told CNN.

The provincial governor, Tooryalai Wesa, eluded injury and capture, according to Ahmad Wali Karzai, chief of Kandahar's provincial council.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force said the attacks began with a combined rocket-propelled grenade attack and small arms fire on the province governor's compound and followed with assaults on an array of targets.

Taliban and a provincial governor's spokesman said targets included the National Directorate of Security, a police headquarters, the Kandahar city headquarters, and the provincial governor's office.

ISAF said the Afghanistan National Chief of Police Headquarters, the Transportation Police Headquarters, Police Sub-station One and various ANSF and ISAF buildings in Kandahar City and the Arghandab River Valley were attacked.

Police officers were among the wounded, said Zelmai Ayoubi, a spokesman for the Kandahar governor.

Maryam Dorani, a member of Kandahar's provincial council, said the Taliban fighters were using a high school as a shooting position on the governor's office.

ISAF said there were reports of more than five suicide bombers utilizing vehicle-borne explosive devices were involved in the attack.

Ayoubi said that from the beginning of this attack, "more then 10 explosions have been happened across Kandahar city."

Afghan security forces prevented three car bombs from detonating and provided perimeter security with ISAF, and ISAF said there was no word of insurgent attacks breaching the perimeters of any of the compounds, the alliance said.

"Initial reports indicate that between three and six suicide bombers were stopped -- either detonating prematurely or being killed before they could detonate," ISAF said.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James B. Laster, an ISAF spokesman, said Afghan forces thwarted a "spring offensive spectacular attack" that wounded civilians, who the Taliban vowed to protect.

"Afghan National Security Forces responded calmly and capably and with limited ISAF assistance, were able to restore calm to the city," he said.

President Hamid Karzai claimed the assault was an act of revenge over U.S. forces killing Osama bin Laden's death. He condemned Saturday's attacks. He also deplored the militants' use of schools to launch strikes, an action that he said underscores their embrace of terrorism and disdain for education. He made the remarks during a trip to Turkey.

Afghan officials said gunfights between security forces and militants persisted later Saturday in various locations across Kandahar city. Both Kandahar city and the province of the same name have been major fronts in the Afghan war.

The Taliban assault came a day after the group confirmed the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, slain in a U.S. military raid in Pakistan on Monday.

The militant group, which harbored bin Laden's terror network when it attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, said bin Laden's death will give "new impetus to current Jihad."

"Today's operation was planned a week ago and we will think about the attacks about revenges of the Sheikh Osama's murder in the future," Ahmadi said.

Bader, the name of the Taliban's offensive, is a reference to a battle in the early days of Islam, when the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have successfully led a key fight against non-Muslims.

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Traffic fatalities fall to lowest level since 1949

Experts say changes in car design and campaigns to create better drivers contributed to the decline in traffic deaths. STORY HIGHLIGHTSExperts cite numerous factors in the dropEmphasis on distracted driving has helped, transportation secretary saysThe recession and high gas prices are also a factorAt the end of 2010, fatalities began to trend back up Washington (CNN) -- The number of traffic fatalities continued its welcomed downward trajectory last year, falling 3% to its lowest levels since 1949, and a 25 percent drop from 2005, according to U.S. Department of Transportation estimates released Friday.

Preliminary figures show that 32,788 people died in traffic accidents last year, down from the 33,808 killed the previous year and significantly below the 43,510 people killed only six years ago, according to the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Experts attribute the change to a variety of reasons, including changes to cars -- such as vehicle rollover protection -- and programs to change driver behavior -- such as campaigns addressing drunk driving, distracted driving and seat belt use. Laws aimed at young people also likely have had an impact, notably older minimum drinking ages and graduated drivers' licenses.

"I think I'm going to take a little bit of credit here on our two years of really hammering on distracted driving," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We're not where we want to be, but we know with good laws and good enforcement, people will put their cell phones down and their Blackberries."

He also gave credit to stricter enforcement of driving laws and drivers taking personal responsibility for their safety.

Traffic fatalities in the United States peaked in 1972, with 54,589 killed, according to the DOT. But the rise and decline of the grim number has numerous peaks and dips, influenced by direct changes such as the national speed limit and indirect causes such as recessions.

In recent history, the most notable change was a 9.7 percent plummet in deaths in 2008. In a report examining that drop, DOT officials gave credit to DOT safety programs, but also noted that the drop coincided with a recession in the economy. The recession, and high unemployment rates among the young workforce, probably had a big impact on travel among young drivers, and it probably accounts for a steep decline in fatalities involving younger people, the DOT said.

The 2010 drop is notable because the decline comes despite an increase in the number of miles driven.

But figures also suggest the downward trend may be at its end. DOT figures show that fatalities declined in the first quarter of the year (down 11.4 percent) and second quarter (down 5 percent) compared for the same quarters the previous year, but increased in the third and fourth quarters, up 1.6 percent and 1.8 percent respectively.

Terry Kline, a professor at the Traffic Safety Institute at Eastern Kentucky University, said so many factors influence crashes that its difficult to assign credit or blame.

"Each one wants to say, 'Yes, it's my program that did it,' but it's very hard to prove," Kline said.

A number of factors are "taking more 16 year olds off the road," which could be having a significant impact on the statistics, he said. In many states, young drivers can only drive with an adult in the car, he said. And the recession and the high cost of cars and gas also are keeping teen-agers from jumping in the driver's seat.

The lack of uniformed police reports makes it difficult to compile reliable statistics, Kline said.

Secretary LaHood said the up-tick in traffic deaths in late 2010 does not portend higher figures this year.

"Absolutely not," he said. "We can never sit back on our laurels. We can never take for granted that people have gotten the message, not when 30-thousand people have lost their lives. So we're going to continue our efforts."

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