thedrifter
08-10-08, 06:12 AM
Afghanistan report: 'We're beating the Taliban'
KOS Media's Jamie McGinnes
reports exclusively from Helmand Province, Afghanistan
The war against the Taliban in Helmand Province is being won, according to the Army.
Insurgents’ switch to using suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices, rather than conventional fighting, shows they are losing, a senior source at 16 Air Assault Brigade has told Kent on Sunday.
And, speaking from the headquarters of the 5,000-strong force in Lashkar Gah, the officer revealed how the Army was trying to tackle the growth of opium poppies in Helmand, a great many of which are turned into heroin that reaches Britain’s streets.
“We have progressed immensely in a two-year period,” they said. “The key centres of population are broadly secure and so the people can live a normal life, which means the economy can regenerate, which of course raises the standard of living, which keeps people on the right side."
The source said, for example, that the Canterbury-based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5 Scots) had done a “remarkable job” in improving security in the key town of Musa Qala.
And a huge operation involving ‘A’ Company of 5 Scots in Garmshir, alongside 2,000 US Marines, had pushed the Taliban out of the area.
“That enabled the marines, with the assistance of ‘A’Company to clear the snake’s head of enemy forces.”
The local town of Darvisham is now flourishing again, with the hospital and more than 100 shops re-opening and families returning.
The deaths of key enemy commanders has also helped.
“One of the key reasons that the insurgency has changed so much is that the command structure has been shattered.
“You’ve only got to look at Mullah Dadullah Lang, who was a key commander, who was killed some time last year, and more recently Sadiquallah and a couple of others who have been killed in Helmand.
“You take the leader and the flock is questioning why it’s there and what it’s doing.”
And the officer said that the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, which includes British troops, was not ignoring the thriving opium poppy industry.
An airfield is being repaired in the hope that a new industrial area will flourish and allow farmers to grow alternative crops.
“This is a hugely fertile valley. It’s always been the bread basket of Afghanistan. If they’ve got the processing plant and the means to get it out then actually it becomes economically viable for a farmer to grow a whole lot of fruit.. which means he doesn’t have to grow opium in the long term.”
The Army is also trying to educate and persuade farmers not to grow opium, while resorting to “targeted eradication” in some areas.
But the officer said: “It takes time. It’s not something we’re going to get right this year or next year. You can’t give someone an alternative livelihood tonight.”
Lieutenant Colonel David Reynolds, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “We shall continue our commitment to this country until the job is done.”
Ellie
KOS Media's Jamie McGinnes
reports exclusively from Helmand Province, Afghanistan
The war against the Taliban in Helmand Province is being won, according to the Army.
Insurgents’ switch to using suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices, rather than conventional fighting, shows they are losing, a senior source at 16 Air Assault Brigade has told Kent on Sunday.
And, speaking from the headquarters of the 5,000-strong force in Lashkar Gah, the officer revealed how the Army was trying to tackle the growth of opium poppies in Helmand, a great many of which are turned into heroin that reaches Britain’s streets.
“We have progressed immensely in a two-year period,” they said. “The key centres of population are broadly secure and so the people can live a normal life, which means the economy can regenerate, which of course raises the standard of living, which keeps people on the right side."
The source said, for example, that the Canterbury-based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5 Scots) had done a “remarkable job” in improving security in the key town of Musa Qala.
And a huge operation involving ‘A’ Company of 5 Scots in Garmshir, alongside 2,000 US Marines, had pushed the Taliban out of the area.
“That enabled the marines, with the assistance of ‘A’Company to clear the snake’s head of enemy forces.”
The local town of Darvisham is now flourishing again, with the hospital and more than 100 shops re-opening and families returning.
The deaths of key enemy commanders has also helped.
“One of the key reasons that the insurgency has changed so much is that the command structure has been shattered.
“You’ve only got to look at Mullah Dadullah Lang, who was a key commander, who was killed some time last year, and more recently Sadiquallah and a couple of others who have been killed in Helmand.
“You take the leader and the flock is questioning why it’s there and what it’s doing.”
And the officer said that the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, which includes British troops, was not ignoring the thriving opium poppy industry.
An airfield is being repaired in the hope that a new industrial area will flourish and allow farmers to grow alternative crops.
“This is a hugely fertile valley. It’s always been the bread basket of Afghanistan. If they’ve got the processing plant and the means to get it out then actually it becomes economically viable for a farmer to grow a whole lot of fruit.. which means he doesn’t have to grow opium in the long term.”
The Army is also trying to educate and persuade farmers not to grow opium, while resorting to “targeted eradication” in some areas.
But the officer said: “It takes time. It’s not something we’re going to get right this year or next year. You can’t give someone an alternative livelihood tonight.”
Lieutenant Colonel David Reynolds, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: “We shall continue our commitment to this country until the job is done.”
Ellie