Afghanistan: On The Ground Action Report -- September 1, 2009

U.S. Marines and Afghan national army soldiers return fire after insurgents ambushed their patrol in the Garmsir district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by 1st Lt. Kurt Stahl

Ten Dollar Taliban and Rules of Engagement -- Captain's Journal

The AP has an informative update on the U.S. Marine efforts in Now Zad.

After three tours in Iraq, U.S. Marine Sgt. Andre Leon was used to brutal shootouts with enemy fighters and expected more of the same in Afghanistan.

Instead, what he’s seen so far are anonymous attacks in the form of mines and roadside bombings — the mark of what he calls a cowardly adversary.

“I’m not impressed with them,” Leon, 25, of Herndon, Va., said this past week from a Marines camp deep in the southern province of Helmand, where U.S. forces are challenging Taliban insurgents and their devastating use of IEDs, or homemade bombs. “I expected more of a stand-and-fight. All these guys do is IEDs.”

Read more ....

My Comment: These "unimpressive" Taliban have killed numerous NATO/US forces in the past month and are expected to continue with this trend. While money is a big motivating factor, among the leadership it is religion and a cause .... two dangerous ingredients in the hands of the enemy.