Discourse is so caught up in this idea of the Afghanistan 'summer offensive' that you would think everyone went home for the winter, slept in and had dinner parties.

 

War doesn't stop for winter- the game goes on- you just play it differently.

Weather is the single biggest determinant of battles being fought or not.

Winter, especially in environments as hostile and harsh as Afghan are most certainly not conducive to fighting, or much of anything else really. Equipment which functions fine in summer tends to shatter in winter. 

Winters in Afghansitan are particularly brutal, i think you'll find theres a definite lull in fighting in winer and spring, along with thawing rivers and lovely greenery will also bring out the renewed bloodshed, which peaks at the height of summer, especially in these backwards regions, where fighting is very much a tribal event. Rioting in the western world, particularly amongst poorer populations/minorities tends to break out during this season for very similar reasons.

 

 

In the winter of 2008-2009 there was a significant increase in violence in Afghanistan; I am sure significant violence occured in other winters also.

 

I agree that the weather is important.  But it can help as much as it can hinder, especially amidst assymetric and irregular warfare.  The game changes.