Afghan national army soldiers (in background) looking at dead bodies of the Taliban after a fight in the Manara village in the southern city of Kandahar on Friday. (Ismail Sameem/Reuters)
From The International Herald Tribune
MANARA, Afghanistan: Corpses lay stinking in the shade of mulberry trees and in the ruins of a collapsed storehouse. Villagers rushed home to see whether their livestock had died in the heat. Afghan soldiers placed red signs warning of bombs planted alongside the road.
With the fighting in the leafy Arghandab valley apparently over, grim signs remained Friday of the battle that government and NATO troops had waged against Taliban militants who had crept within range of Afghanistan's second city, Kandahar.
Meanwhile, the grinding violence that has plagued the country for much of the past three decades continued elsewhere.
Read More ....
More News On Afghanistan From Other Sources
Afghan villagers return to grim aftermath of fight -- Yahoo News
Another Massive Taliban Defeat In Afghanistan -- Strata-Sphere
Taliban Stumble and Fail -- Strategy Page
Afghan Villagers Return to Grim Aftermath of Fight -- ABC News
Afghans count Taliban dead in valley near Kandahar -- Reuters
Afghan clashes point to larger problems -- L.A. Times
Afghan and NATO forces clear Taliban from Kandahar area -- International Herald Tribune
Taliban raise a storm in Kandahar -- Asia Times
Afghan district declared safe after two days of fighting -- Kuwait News Agency
Afghanistan: Taliban still strong despite NATO operation -- ADNKronos
U.S. Marine Style Counterinsurgency -- Captain's Journal
On patrol in Zhari -- Financial Times
NATO, Afghan forces hunt Taliban, bury dead -- MSNBC
Blast Kills 10 Afghans In Helmand Province -- CBS News
Some Afghan refugee camps haven for extremists, says PM -- Daily Times
Afghanistan: After $6 Billion, Where's a Cop When You Need One? -- ABC News
Afghan Suicide Attack Kills Six -- Time Magazine
Afghanistan backlash -- Financial Times
Afghanistan National Security Forces: June 2008 Update -- Long War Journal
Note on Uptick in Taliban Propaganda -- Java Report
My Comment: What a difference a week makes. Last week 1,100 Taliban and other prisoners broke out of Kandahar Prison. Today, hundreds of Taliban corpses are rotting in the fields outside of Kandahar. A few days ago many in the main stream media were predicting a Taliban attack into Kandahar .... reality on the ground was different. The civilian population fled (they did not want to be a part of the Taliban), thereby exposing Taliban forces. Two days later, these few hundred Taliban facing the combined force of Nato, U.S. and Afghan forces were shredded to pieces.
This is a major tactical defeat, equal to what happened two years ago when the Taliban tried to do the same thing. The Taliban are outnumbered, and it is only through terror that they can make the civilian population support them. There is going to be some repercussions on this foolhardy adventure in the Taliban sanctuaries of West Pakistan in the next few weeks.
No comments:
Post a Comment