thedrifter
09-20-06, 03:17 PM
September 20, 2006
Taliban Rebels Said to Lose First Head-On Battle
By JOHN O’NEIL
International forces defeated Taliban militiamen when the group made its first attempt to stand and fight earlier this month, NATO’s top general said today. But the general warned that military progress was being undermined by the unchecked spread of the drug trade across Afghanistan.
Gen. James L. Jones of the Marines, who commands all NATO forces, said that between one-third and one-half of the Taliban’s 3,000 hard-core fighters — as opposed to what he called a larger number of “weekend warriors’’ — were killed during several weeks of heavy fighting in the southern province of Kandahar before the insurgents retreated.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, General Jones said it was likely that the Taliban fighters would disperse to other regions that are lightly patrolled, primarily in western Afghanistan, “to recover and lick their wounds,’’ and that he expected that attacks would spread as they did so.
Asked about whether lasting damage had been inflicted on the Taliban in the fighting, which led to high casualty rates among NATO troops as well, General Jones said, “What we don’t know is their ability to regenerate themselves.’’
But he said the offensive in Kandahar should yield two long-term benefits: the end of the region as a safe haven for the insurgents, and a demonstration to the Taliban that it cannot defeat NATO forces in open combat.
Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, also gave a sober assessment of his country’s situation today in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Regrettably, it is not all positive news that I have to share today,’’ he said. “We have seen terrorism rebounding, as terrorists have infiltrated our borders to step up their murderous campaign against our people.’’
Like General Jones, Mr. Karzai said that military action alone “will not deliver our shared goal of eliminating terrorism,’’ and he also cited the drug trade as part of the reason.
But Mr. Karzai went on to talk about sanctuaries for terrorism outside of Afghanistan’s borders, a clear reference to Pakistan. The Afghan president has been sharply critical of Pakistan for not cracking down on Taliban fighters in its territory, and in particular for the recent truce announced between President Pervez Musharaff and tribal leaders in the region.
General Jones said the Kandahar region, where the Taliban movement originated, had been a relatively safe area of operation for its fighters since the American-led invasion of 2001. NATO commanders therefore knew that the “arrival of 6,000 troops would be a shock to the culture of the region,’’ but he said they were expecting a continuation of the group’s guerilla tactics, not a large-scale confrontation.
“The Taliban decided to make a test case in the region,’’ said General Jones. “We were surprised by the level of violence, but more surprised by the change in tactics.’’
“They decided to stand and fight in the linear, classical sense, and they paid a heavy price for it,’’ the general said.
General Jones said that the Taliban broke off the battle on Sept. 15th, in what he said their spokesman called a “tactical retreat.’’
During the height of the fighting, General Jones traveled to a NATO conference in Poland to ask for an additional 2,500 troops that had been pledged but not deployed. Despite a grim warning to American allies from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Afghanistan risked becoming a “failed state,’’ he left empty-handed.
Since then, though, the general said, Romania has promised to send a battalion next month, and Poland to send another battalion — about 1,000 troops — in January. Other nations will be announcing additional deployments soon, he said.
The bigger problem in Afghanistan, General Jones said, is not the military threat but the slow pace of reconstruction, in particular the efforts to bolster the Afghan police and judiciary to allow for action against drug growers and traffickers.
“We’re not making progress — we’re losing ground,’’ he said of the drug trade.
Gunmen allied to drug cartels now represent a significant force allied to the Taliban, General Jones said, along with what he called “corrupt and criminal elements.’’ By contrast, he called the number of fighters representing the remnant of al Qaeda “minimal.’’
“Narcotics is at the core of everything that can go wrong in Afghanistan, if it’s not properly tackled,’’ General Jones said. “Many of the people of Afghanistan are on a fence right now, and they will be for whichever side wins.’’
Ellie
Taliban Rebels Said to Lose First Head-On Battle
By JOHN O’NEIL
International forces defeated Taliban militiamen when the group made its first attempt to stand and fight earlier this month, NATO’s top general said today. But the general warned that military progress was being undermined by the unchecked spread of the drug trade across Afghanistan.
Gen. James L. Jones of the Marines, who commands all NATO forces, said that between one-third and one-half of the Taliban’s 3,000 hard-core fighters — as opposed to what he called a larger number of “weekend warriors’’ — were killed during several weeks of heavy fighting in the southern province of Kandahar before the insurgents retreated.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, General Jones said it was likely that the Taliban fighters would disperse to other regions that are lightly patrolled, primarily in western Afghanistan, “to recover and lick their wounds,’’ and that he expected that attacks would spread as they did so.
Asked about whether lasting damage had been inflicted on the Taliban in the fighting, which led to high casualty rates among NATO troops as well, General Jones said, “What we don’t know is their ability to regenerate themselves.’’
But he said the offensive in Kandahar should yield two long-term benefits: the end of the region as a safe haven for the insurgents, and a demonstration to the Taliban that it cannot defeat NATO forces in open combat.
Afghanistan’s president, Hamid Karzai, also gave a sober assessment of his country’s situation today in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Regrettably, it is not all positive news that I have to share today,’’ he said. “We have seen terrorism rebounding, as terrorists have infiltrated our borders to step up their murderous campaign against our people.’’
Like General Jones, Mr. Karzai said that military action alone “will not deliver our shared goal of eliminating terrorism,’’ and he also cited the drug trade as part of the reason.
But Mr. Karzai went on to talk about sanctuaries for terrorism outside of Afghanistan’s borders, a clear reference to Pakistan. The Afghan president has been sharply critical of Pakistan for not cracking down on Taliban fighters in its territory, and in particular for the recent truce announced between President Pervez Musharaff and tribal leaders in the region.
General Jones said the Kandahar region, where the Taliban movement originated, had been a relatively safe area of operation for its fighters since the American-led invasion of 2001. NATO commanders therefore knew that the “arrival of 6,000 troops would be a shock to the culture of the region,’’ but he said they were expecting a continuation of the group’s guerilla tactics, not a large-scale confrontation.
“The Taliban decided to make a test case in the region,’’ said General Jones. “We were surprised by the level of violence, but more surprised by the change in tactics.’’
“They decided to stand and fight in the linear, classical sense, and they paid a heavy price for it,’’ the general said.
General Jones said that the Taliban broke off the battle on Sept. 15th, in what he said their spokesman called a “tactical retreat.’’
During the height of the fighting, General Jones traveled to a NATO conference in Poland to ask for an additional 2,500 troops that had been pledged but not deployed. Despite a grim warning to American allies from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Afghanistan risked becoming a “failed state,’’ he left empty-handed.
Since then, though, the general said, Romania has promised to send a battalion next month, and Poland to send another battalion — about 1,000 troops — in January. Other nations will be announcing additional deployments soon, he said.
The bigger problem in Afghanistan, General Jones said, is not the military threat but the slow pace of reconstruction, in particular the efforts to bolster the Afghan police and judiciary to allow for action against drug growers and traffickers.
“We’re not making progress — we’re losing ground,’’ he said of the drug trade.
Gunmen allied to drug cartels now represent a significant force allied to the Taliban, General Jones said, along with what he called “corrupt and criminal elements.’’ By contrast, he called the number of fighters representing the remnant of al Qaeda “minimal.’’
“Narcotics is at the core of everything that can go wrong in Afghanistan, if it’s not properly tackled,’’ General Jones said. “Many of the people of Afghanistan are on a fence right now, and they will be for whichever side wins.’’
Ellie