Sunday - October 12, 2008

“unwinnable” Afghanistan

Well Ok then. This is a bit of positive news I can get behind. Looks like the towel heads got yet another smack down and that their latest banana stand is burning merrily. I gather they made their big push before winter sets in, and not only got shot to bits, they also lost a whole bunch of supplies, lost a suicide bomb factory, and had yet another one of their leaders turned into banana pudding. I think this calls for a drink.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Taliban militants launched a surprise attack on a key southern Afghan town, sparking a battle that killed some 60 insurgents, an Afghan official said Sunday. A second clash in the same region killed another 40 militants.

Taliban fighters used rockets and other heavy weapons to attack Afghan forces on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said Daud Ahmadi, the spokesman for Helmand’s governor.

Militants attacked the city from three sides starting just after midnight and were pushed back only after a battle that involved airstrikes, Ahmadi said. Rockets landed in different parts of the city but there were no civilian casualties, he said.

Authorities recovered the bodies of 41 Taliban fighters on the city’s outskirts, from where the attack was launched, he said. He estimated the bodies of another 20 fighters were taken from the battle site by the militants, citing intelligence reports.

British forces are responsible for protecting the area around Lashkar Gah.

In a second battle in Helmand province, Afghan and international troops retook the Nad Ali district center — which had been held by militants — during a three-day fight, Ahmadi said. That battle, which also involved airstrikes, ended Saturday, Ahmadi said.

Afghan police and soldiers were now in control of the district center. There were no casualties among Afghan or NATO troops, Ahmadi said.

Bill Roggio’s Long War Journal backs this story up and adds lots more detail:

US, British, and Afghan forces defeated two Taliban attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan on Sunday. Seventy Taliban were killed during the two engagements. Five were killed as they attempted to attack from inside Pakistan.
...
In southern Afghanistan, US and Afghan forces killed more than 65 Taliban fighters after they attempted to attack an Afghan National Security Forces outpost in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province. The Taliban were seen gathering outside the town and were preparing a mortar attack when British and Afghan forces launched a counterattack. An airstrike resulted in most of the casualties, ISAF said in a press release. Mullah Qudratullah, the commander of the Taliban force, was killed in the attack, the provincial governor’s spokesman told Reuters.

Al-Reuters actually confirms this, adding quotes from NATO commander General David McKiernan

“We are not losing in Afghanistan,” General David McKiernan told a news conference. But, he said, “we have insufficient security forces here to adequately provide for the security of the people of Afghanistan.”

... speaking on the latest attacks by insurgents and the ass-whupping handed to them :
“A large number of insurgents in the hundreds were detected and were acted upon by a combined operation, a partnered operation between Task Force Helmand and the Afghan National Army,” McKiernan said.

“A large number of insurgents have been killed. I have not heard of reports of civilian collateral damage or civilian casualties,” he said.

In terms of the Afghanistan conflict, these were pretty huge confrontations. Helamand Province is in the southern end of the country, down by the Pakistan and Iranian borders. It is the opum growing center of the nation, producing more than half of Afghanistan’s opium crop. And Afghanistan produces 90% of the world’s opium. And it’s harvest time. Am I the only one who sees a connection? Let’s hope our side used massive quantities of napalm to deny these cretins any cover.

And Then?

At the same time all of this was going on, the Pakis were gittin ‘er done on their side of the border, taking out almost 30 Talis and destroying a suicide bomb factory

12 bombers among 27 slain in Orakzai

* 13 Taliban dead in Bajaur airstrikes
* Kanjoo elders convene jirga after meeting Taliban

Staff Report (same story, different source, here)

PESHAWAR: Security forces said they have killed 27 Taliban in an airstrike in Orakzai Agency on Sunday.

“In a highly successful action in Orakzai Agency, a combat aviation strike killed 27 Taliban,” said a statement from the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters. The statement said those killed included two important Taliban commanders.

Credible sources confirmed that 12 persons among those killed were would-be suicide bombers, said the statement.

And Then?
Well, how about Afghan an coalition forces busting up the Taliban supply lines and snagging lots of their shit, from heavy weapons to explosives to medical supplies? Tough being Joe Kewl Fighting Taliban Guy without any supplies aint’ it? tut tut tisk tisk, gee, too bad Hassan.

ANSF, ISAF forces successfully disrupt insurgent leadership, supply lines in Panjwayi

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF soldiers conducted security operations aimed at disrupting insurgent leadership and supply lines in eastern Panjwayi district, Kandahar, 2-10 October.

During the operations, which took place near Nakhonay, ANSF and ISAF forces seized heavy weaponry, ammunition and vast quantities of insurgent medical supplies. Substantial quantities of explosives and components used for making roadside bombs were also seized and destroyed.

“Afghan forces have seized considerable caches of insurgent supplies, bomb-making material and weapons,” said General Zazai, the commander of Afghan National Army’s 205th Corps. “We fully expected to find these caches, and the insurgent capability to operate will be impacted and public safety improved as a result of the efforts of the ANSF and ISAF.”

out-friggin-standing!

And Then?
Well, that’s about it, but the details are coming out on that supply capture. It turns out that a little kid tipped our guys off about it, and that it was a dog that actually sniffed out the stuff! And it’s a lot of stuff ...

NAKHONAY, Afghanistan — The initial tip came from a boy who warned that the compound and grape vineyard was a “bad place,” and that he and other children in the village had been warned not to go there.

Afghan troops took a quick look around and declared the small farm held nothing of interest. But Canadian soldiers advising the Afghans decided to send in a bomb-sniffing dog to investigate, just to be sure.

Their caution paid off. The dog hit upon a land mine and two containers of homemade explosives. Soldiers also uncovered the wheel carriage for an anti-tank gun and several canisters for its heavy rounds.

The discoveries grew. Within hours, the troops had found an 82 mm recoilless rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a PKM machine gun, two AK-47 rifles and several anti-personnel mines. They also uncovered a number of grain sacks stashed among the grape vines that were stuffed with hundreds of individual rounds of munitions, including RPGs, mortar bombs, artillery rounds and several calibers of small arms ammunition.

The soldiers also discovered bomb-making materials, handheld radios, winter clothing and more than a dozen boxes of medical supplies that included IV bags, antiseptics, pain medicine and bandages. Several boxes bore the label of the International Red Cross Logistics Center in Peshawar, Pakistan. Others indicated that the contents had originated in Europe, Canada and the United States.

The discovery of the cache Wednesday appeared to be one of the biggest finds of Taliban weapons and supplies in Kandahar province in recent months.

Good job Canada. Well done.

Posted by Drew458     on 10/12/2008 at 07:00 PM   
Filed Under: • War On Terror •  
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