A lesson in stupidity, or WHY the Taliban is still losing
The Telegraph has the scoop on an ambush the Taliban probably would like to take back. After all, it was all well and good until US forces called in airstrikes:
More than 100 Taliban insurgents and allies have been killed in a major battle with US-led troops in southern Afghanistan, according to the US military.
The fighting erupted after a convoy of Afghan and US coalition forces came under attack in Shah Wali Kot district in Kandahar province and called in air support.
There were no civilian casualties reported but one Afghan security force member was killed and three foreign troops and three Afghan soldiers were wounded.
The Taliban didn't immediately confirm the account of the battle.
The past 19 months have seen the bloodiest period of fighting in Afghanistan since US-led troops overthrew the Taliban government in 2001.
Nine Western soldiers, most of them American, have been killed in Taliban attacks in recent days in several parts of Afghanistan.
Around 50,000 foreign troops under the command of NATO and the US military are in the country hunting Taliban and al-Qa'eda allies.
They are backed by more than 100,000 Afghan soldiers, police and security agents.
Whoops. Someone forgot to tell the Taliban's "First Camel Cavalry Brigade" that wars aren't won on the backs of their steeds, but they are won by those with superior firepower. This was a serious miscalculation on their part. Maybe they thought we couldn't call in air support, or maybe they thought we wouldn't. Whatever the reason, they're the ones that made the fatal mistake.
Truth be told, the thinking of the Taliban is incredibly short-sighted, and wildly obtuse. They had the element of surprise, the tactical numbers, the best ground, and they still got their butts handed to them 100-1. With NATO forces reinforcing the Afghan government and US forces on the ground, the Taliban fighters continue to show how inept they are in actual combat. Bombings and suicide attacks are designed to intimidate the people. The problem is that when they are cornered by actual combat troops, they lose, and badly.
If we were in Mullah Omar's shoes, we'd throw in the towel. He's facing equally reciprocity by Musharraf's forces in Pakistan (where Musharraf is sick of having to deal with his own mistake, and is actively trying to correct it), and they have less than a snowball's chance in Hell in Afghanistan. Gnawing on the barrel of a pistol might be a better alternative for him at this point.
Publius II
More than 100 Taliban insurgents and allies have been killed in a major battle with US-led troops in southern Afghanistan, according to the US military.
The fighting erupted after a convoy of Afghan and US coalition forces came under attack in Shah Wali Kot district in Kandahar province and called in air support.
There were no civilian casualties reported but one Afghan security force member was killed and three foreign troops and three Afghan soldiers were wounded.
The Taliban didn't immediately confirm the account of the battle.
The past 19 months have seen the bloodiest period of fighting in Afghanistan since US-led troops overthrew the Taliban government in 2001.
Nine Western soldiers, most of them American, have been killed in Taliban attacks in recent days in several parts of Afghanistan.
Around 50,000 foreign troops under the command of NATO and the US military are in the country hunting Taliban and al-Qa'eda allies.
They are backed by more than 100,000 Afghan soldiers, police and security agents.
Whoops. Someone forgot to tell the Taliban's "First Camel Cavalry Brigade" that wars aren't won on the backs of their steeds, but they are won by those with superior firepower. This was a serious miscalculation on their part. Maybe they thought we couldn't call in air support, or maybe they thought we wouldn't. Whatever the reason, they're the ones that made the fatal mistake.
Truth be told, the thinking of the Taliban is incredibly short-sighted, and wildly obtuse. They had the element of surprise, the tactical numbers, the best ground, and they still got their butts handed to them 100-1. With NATO forces reinforcing the Afghan government and US forces on the ground, the Taliban fighters continue to show how inept they are in actual combat. Bombings and suicide attacks are designed to intimidate the people. The problem is that when they are cornered by actual combat troops, they lose, and badly.
If we were in Mullah Omar's shoes, we'd throw in the towel. He's facing equally reciprocity by Musharraf's forces in Pakistan (where Musharraf is sick of having to deal with his own mistake, and is actively trying to correct it), and they have less than a snowball's chance in Hell in Afghanistan. Gnawing on the barrel of a pistol might be a better alternative for him at this point.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 2:43 PM
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