Getting Ready For A Winter War In Afghanistan

U.S. Maj. Gen. Jeffery J. Schloesser, right, shakes hand with Afghan soldiers after arriving at a US base in Nuristan province east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. U.S. forces in Afghanistan will increase offensive operations against militants this winter because insurgents are increasingly staying in the country to prepare for spring attacks, the top U.S. commander said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

U.S. Plans 'Very Aggressive' Winter Campaign
In Afghanistan -- Baltimore Sun

WASHINGTON - Amid rising violence and increasing numbers of foreign insurgents pouring into Afghanistan, the U.S. will launch a "very aggressive" winter campaign in eastern Afghanistan for the first time since 2002, a senior commander said today.

Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, commander of the 101st Airborne Division task force in eastern Afghanistan, said the unprecedented winter offensive will be coupled with a development drive that will provide some $479 million to help employ young Afghan males on local development projects.

Schloesser, in a televised briefing with Pentagon reporters this morning, acknowledged that a shortage of troops is hampering his combat effectiveness.

"We are not losing" the war in Afghanistan, said Schloesser, who has asked Washington for reinforcements. "I can come in and clobber the enemy, but I can't hold [territory] and stay with the people" to protect them against Taliban and other insurgents, he said.

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My Comment: The following quote by Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, commander of the 101st Airborne Division task force in eastern Afghanistan, sums up the problems that Nato is having in Afghanistan:

"We are not losing" the war in Afghanistan, said Schloesser, who has asked Washington for reinforcements. "I can come in and clobber the enemy, but I can't hold [territory] and stay with the people" to protect them against Taliban and other insurgents, he said.

The military cannot hold territory nor be able to protect the civilian population from Taliban intimidation. You cannot win a war with this type of strategy.