 Asia Times Online has reported, however, after discussions with Taliban commanders, that this year the Taliban would carry out specific planned operations all across Afghanistan. This is in contrast to previous years when cadre flocked to southern Afghanistan in their thousands and were killed in the hundreds. That is, the Taliban have reverted to a calculated guerrilla war rather than trying and take on NATO's numbers.
| Good luck with that. Go pay a visit to Mr. Dostum, he's been rather bored lately ... |
The Arghandab operation can be seen in this context. Even if the Taliban do succeed in overrunning Kandahar, they are certain, at this stage, not to attempt to retain it for too long, even a few hours would send a very powerful message to NATO and the Karzai administration.
| As Fred noted yesterday, the Talibunnies were going to try and take a city of 450,000 people with an undergunned battalion. Shrewd, real shrewd ... |
The activity around Arghandab has also had the effect of turning NATO's focus away from the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nooristan, where land and air operations are in full swing, apparently in search of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. These extend across the border into Pakistan's Mohmand and Bajaur tribal agencies.
Taliban contacts tell Asia Times Online that once the Taliban take the Kandahar operation to a climax, whatever form it might take, they will open up another surprise front in eastern Afghanistan in an attempt to spread NATO as thin as possible.
| That might work for a bit until we whack enough Talibunnies to convince the rest to hightail it for the border ... |
The Taliban initiative this year began with moves to choke NATO's supply lines in Khyber Agency in Pakistan, and to force the Pakistani government to sign peace agreements with militants in the tribal areas to allow the free flow of men and supplies into Afghanistan to fuel the insurgency there. The latter objective was achieved in full, the former to a lesser extent.
| Because the Pak army isn't the Afghan army or NATO ... |
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