| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Afghanistan | |
| NATO says major offensive is cornering Taleban | |
| 2006-09-05 | |
| KABUL - NATO said on Tuesday its major offensive to crush a revitalised Taleban in southern Afghanistan is pushing the guerrillas into a corner as heavy fighting continues. “We are closing the circle on the Taleban -- we have got the Taleban in a bit of a trap,” NATO spokesman Major Quentin Innes said. NATO launched Operation Medusa, its biggest ground offensive against an increasingly active Taleban, last weekend in Kandahar province, the hardline Islamist group’s spiritual heartland. The operation is focused on Panjwai district, near the capital, Kandahar city, and is being supported by air strikes. Medusa was launched after NATO forces encountered stiffer-than-expected Taleban resistance as it took over the south from US-led troops, the alliance’s biggest-ever ground operation. Casualties have been high. NATO says it has killed more than 200 guerrillas, a claim the Taleban disputes. At least five Canadian soldiers have died in combat and 14 British troops were killed when their plane crashed early in the offensive. A Taleban spokesman said civilians had also been killed in the operation but Innes had no reports of civilian casualties. Taleban military chief Mullah Dadullah has threatened to target journalists spreading NATO propaganda. The Taleban says its casualties number barely a dozen.
Fighting across Afghanistan is the worst since US-led forces ousted the Taleban in late 2001. More than 2,000 people, most of them militants, along with scores of civilians and aid workers and hundreds of Afghan security personnel, have been killed so far this year. More than 115 foreign troops have died. NATOÂ’s commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant-General David Richards, has described Medusa as a pivotal campaign in putting down the Taleban to allow vital reconstruction and development. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Actually Z, it would appear that the NATO policy of reintegrate the Taliban back into the dirt of Afghanistan is working quite well. |
| Posted by: john 2006-09-05 20:51 |
| #10 This is probably why the Pakis are abandoning Waziristan to the Taliban. The Taliban are in severe danger, with a large portion of their forces in threat of destruction, so the Pakis are giving their proxies a safe harbor. Time for a midnight sunrise over Islamabad, IMHO. I'm sick of this fucking game. Treat Pakistan the way they act -- like our mortal enemies. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-09-05 20:48 |
| #9 Z: I think that the policy of attempting to reintegrate the Taliban back into Afghan society was a huge mistake. Those who sided with mullah Omar and bin Laden were ideologically tainted and should have been treated as such. I think human motivations are complex and not strictly ideological. I have no doubt that many joined the Taliban either to get on the winning side or to simply avoid getting killed. The average warlord in Taliban-era Afghanistan had two basic options, disarm while sticking out like a sore thumb because everyone knew him as an ex-warlord (except he was now defenseless) or remain armed and join the Taliban together with his band of followers. Many probably chose the second option because it kept their choices open - if the Taliban moved against them, they could always rebel along with their followers, whereas disarming might be the fastest ticket to a shallow mass grave for him and his followers. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-09-05 20:33 |
| #8 Map of Afghanistan Provinces: http://tinyurl.com/z8mgr |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-09-05 18:55 |
| #7 Go get 'em guys! Is this for NATO or for the Taliban targeting journalists? Because after Lebanon, I'm not sure which to cheer harder. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-09-05 18:24 |
| #6 I'm going to miss them. Sniff. ;-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2006-09-05 16:59 |
| #5 I must admit, the NATO group, especially the Canucks, are performing well beyond what I expected. Great ! Just Great ! Keep it up everyone. And, thanks for your sacrifices and your help. We really appreciate it. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-09-05 15:40 |
| #4 once a subhuman islamo-cockroach...always a subhuman islamo-cockroach. Pop their caps. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-09-05 13:58 |
| #3 I think that the policy of attempting to reintegrate the Taliban back into Afghan society was a huge mistake. Those who sided with mullah Omar and bin Laden were ideologically tainted and should have been treated as such. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-05 13:39 |
| #2 We need a map. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2006-09-05 13:28 |
| #1 Go get 'em guys! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-09-05 13:17 |