Is Taliban Morale Low?

OPERATION BIG WAVE - U.S. Marines establish communication lines during Operation Big Wave after a helicopter insertion in Khanagawr, Afghanistan, Aug. 18, 2010. The operation was conducted to disrupt the enemy from using supply lines to bring weapons and fighters into Nawa province. The Marines are assigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga

Insurgent Morale Low In Face Of Security Ops -- Centcom

KABUL, Afghanistan (Aug. 25, 2010) — Intelligence reports indicate some pockets of low insurgent morale, with some insurgent fighters reluctant to keep fighting and some refusing to assume district commands when commanders are captured or killed.

The low morale among fighters and insurgent leaders can be linked to ANSF and ISAF successful security operations. Coalition and ANSF forces conducted more than 2,800 counter-terrorist operations over the past 90 days, killing or capturing more than 365 insurgent leaders and 2,386 fighters. These counter-insurgency successes have also led to a growing sense of distrust among insurgent fighters, their heightened fear of spies, and increased suspicion between rival tribes.

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My Comment: I have trouble seeing how they can come to such a conclusion. Is it from captured Taliban soldiers? Informers? Innocent civilians? Intercepted communications?

What I do know is that today, scores of Taliban soldiers conducted what was in essence a suicide mission against coalition soldiers .... and they had no problem in recruiting scores of able bodied men to do it.