By Luke Baker

KHOST, Afghanistan, May 9 (Reuters) - The commander of U.S. forces in southeast Afghanistan on Friday dismissed suggestions of any renewed Taliban offensive, saying fighting might pick up in some areas but a full-on offensive was a myth.

"There is no such thing as a spring offensive," Colonel Pete Johnson, the commander of a taskforce from the 101st Airborne Division that is responsible for security in six Afghan provinces along the border with Pakistan, told Reuters.

"I think this year this myth is finally going to be debunked. Last year was the same thing -- it never materialised. This year it has not materialised and it won't materialise."

"Will there be increases in fighting and insurgent activity. Absolutely. But it's a weather-based construct, a seasonal construct, not a deliberate execution of an offensive. Increased activity is not a coordinated offensive."

The Taliban and militants allied to the group have traditionally increased attacks in past springs, when high mountain terrain becomes more passable and routes over the frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan are more accessible.

The change in weather also tends to make it easier for militants to plant bombs under or alongside roads since the ground is softer and melted winter ice leaves potholes that are natural places to conceal mines or explosives.

In recent days there has been a small but measurable increase in such attacks. Two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian were killed in a roadside bomb blast outside Khost on Wednesday, and an Afghan police chief and his bodyguard were killed in a separate IED (improvised explosive device) attack the same day.

Johnson said such up-ticks were to be expected but didn't change the overall security picture in his area.

"Quite frankly there has not been a significant shift in the historical context," he said. "Yes, there's more fighting right now than there was last month, but that's just the way the context works in east Afghanistan. The better weather allows the anti-Afghan fighters some more movement."

Comparing the first three months of this year with the same period in 2007, he said "direct fire" attacks -- when militants launch ambushes or engage U.S. or Afghan troops directly -- were down 50 percent and IED attacks were "virtually the same."

TRIBAL RELATIONS

Regional security experts have raised concerns that a tentative peace deal between Pakistan's new government, which is taking a frostier approach to relations with Washington, and Taliban-allied militants in the northwest of the country could fuel increased violence across the border in Afghanistan.

Johnson said any such deal could cause problems if it allowed militants more space to manoeuvre, but he said relations with Pakistan's security forces across the border remained good, with monthly meetings to coordinate strategy.

"The fact is, it is a challenging area that is for the most part dominated by a population that doesn't recognise the border," he said.

"Historically and traditionally, there is infiltration of the enemy across the border both ways. This has traditionally been a backyard for fighting."

He said his officers, all of whom have spent months immersing themselves in Pashtunwalli -- the tribal code that governs much of the interaction between Afghans -- were building relations with key tribes on his side of the border in the hope of bringing influence to bear across the frontier.

"Some tribes are essentially astride the border ... We're hopeful there is some influence that crosses over," he said.

The amount of cultural anthropology U.S. officers now employ, more than six years into their operations in Afghanistan, is notable. All are quick to refer to tribal codes when discussing what is required to bring about improvements in Afghanistan.

"The decisive part of our operation, and the enduring part of our operation, is non-lethal," Johnson said, emphasising the importance he puts on dealing face-to-face with Afghan leaders.

"If we want to achieve a lasting effect in Afghanistan, we're going to do it through non-lethal means, and the most powerful means is going to be through dialogue." (Editing by Alex Richardson)

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