First Finnish Soldier Dies in WOT - Afganistans situation shifting?

A Finnish Peacekeepper has been killed by a roadside bomb 50m outside a ISAF base in Maimana, Nothern Afganistan. Two Norwegian peacekeeppers were wounded in the blast.

Maimana and the sourrounding areas have been a stronghold of the warlords and the "Northern Alliance". Untill very recently it has be relatively peaceful and ISAF troops have not been targetted there before last weeks similar attack that left a Norwedian soldier wounded.

From this sudden hostility towards ISAF may lead to conclusions. And both of those are grim for the ISAF operation:
-Either one or more warlord(s) are trying to drive ISAF out of the region
-Or Taleban backed fighters have regained operational status in norther Afganistan.

First option would mean that the whole balance of power has shifted against ISAF and American troops. While second implies that efforts to destroy and/or suppress Taleban have utterly failed and instead of getting weaker they are spredding their influence again. Suicide bombings in traditional Taleban strongholds have allso increased.

I think this should be discussed in ATS... feel free to give your opinon.

Ps.
Yle News story - in
finnish
BBC article

PPs. Salute to the fallen soldier, he died doing a good work.

[edit on 23-5-2007 by northwolf]

And update to the incident:
Finnish soldier was killed and 4 others wounded by a 122mm Artillery shell that was hidden in an oil barrel and remotely detonated. No information is available on who is behind the attack.

Update: Radio station in Maimana has broadcasted a news that Talebans have claimed to have done the bomb attack. Finnish military intelligence is very sceptical that Talebans actually did the attack, but they are investigating the lead.

Would anyone have any more information about the current situation in northern Afganistan? Is Taleban regaining strength or are the warlords taking a stance against ISAF?

Recent developement that has emerged from this: Finnish Government is seriously concidering that we send more troops to Afganistan and maybe even take a regional responsibility somewhere. This is very unusual, but main credit goes to the right/centrist government of Finland that unlike the previous Social democrat/Centrist ones is not afraid of sinlge body bags and has guts to commit our troops to the effort in Afganistan. (There have never been problems in finding troops for foreign operations, political will and funding are the limiting factors in Finnish participation)