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December 15, 2007
Huge Taliban Defeat ~ An Eyewitness Account
Eyewitness Account of Huge Taliban Defeat
Afghanistan's government flag was raised Wednesday on what had been one of the biggest strongholds of the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and a leading world center of heroin production.
The town of about 45,000 people was secured at about 9:30 a.m. as Afghan troops, steered by British soldiers and U.S. Green Berets, drove out remnants of the Taliban resistance from Musa Qala in the opium poppy region of northern Helmand.
As the only journalist to join NATO forces entering the town, I found it a ghost town abandoned by both the Taliban and its residents at the end of an eight-day coalition operation. The offensive was one of NATO's biggest in the country since Operation Anaconda in 2002.
" Embedded with a team of British troops and a detachment/"A–team" of U.S. special forces, I watched the Taliban being pounded these last few days with overwhelming force -- vapor trails circled in the clear blue sky over the Helmand desert as B1 and B52 bombers backed by A10 tank busters, F16s, Apache helicopters and Specter gunships were used to kill hundreds of Taliban fighters.The operation was launched last Tuesday with an attack across the Helmand River by British Royal Marine commandos, a thrust from the west by light armor of the U.K. Household Cavalry Regiment; all this, however, was a feint for the main airborne landing from the north of a battalion of soldiers of Task Force Fury from the 82nd Airborne.
Faced with a full brigade of NATO forces, a brigade of Afghan government fighters and the defection of a key Taliban commander, the Taliban chose not to flee at first but to fight a desperate battle.
I joined one feint attack of Afghan soldiers last Friday that came under fierce Taliban fire in a village on the outskirts of Musa Qala -- AK47s and heavy machine gun fire opened up on us as we advanced across open ground. The British and Afghans counterattacked backed by U.S. special forces who opened up with 50-caliber fire and by calling three F16 strikes and a B1 bomber strike.
On Sunday, as the 82nd Airborne advanced to take positions north, east and south of the town, I watched the sky being lit with large explosions from heavy ordnance dropped from the air to support the U.S. advance.
U.S. forces believe the Taliban were backed by a large strength of foreign fighters, including those linked to al Qaeda. Soldiers who I accompanied found one dead fighter whose notebook revealed he was from Pakistan.
While hundreds of Taliban are believed to have been killed, two British soldiers and one American soldier lost their lives. All the deaths, however, resulted from vehicles striking mines left not, it is believed, by the Taliban but by Soviet forces in the 1980s.
On Monday, after days of fierce fighting -- more ferocious than NATO commanders had expected -- the Taliban called it quits and fled the town. Afghan troops entered the town on Tuesday and completed their occupation on Wednesday after only token further resistance.
NATO forces now hope to launch a program of reconstruction that will persuade the local population to turn their backs on the Taliban.
In a controversial move, Musa Qala had been abandoned the previous year after British troops lost seven lives defending a base in the town from waves of Taliban attacks. Although handed over, in theory, to the elders of the town last October, it was taken over by the Taliban by February and became one of the few major places in Afghanistan where the Taliban could operate in the open, trying to set up their own local government and courts.
Last year's British-backed deal was criticized openly by U.S. commanders and the recapture of the town heals an open wound that undermined claims by NATO that the Taliban were being defeated militarily."
Wild Thing's comment........
This is a fascinating account. And the hypocrats are deeply saddened.
What is tragically ironic is that the three coalition fatalities he mentions seem to have been caused by Soviet era landmines.
Our troops are the greatest! And it seems our allies played a big role in this one too.
Hell on Earth was delivered to these serial killers. Amazing what our side can do without gaggles of left wing mediots interferring with our military.
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.....Thank you Tom for sending this article to me.
Posted by Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 12:55 AM
Comments
Hoo-frickin-Ah!
I was just talking to someone about the Stan - they had no idea the Taliban's butt was getting kicked so hard. They thought it was all going to hell in a handbasket. (Thank you MSM and the Dhimmis...) But then she doesn't read the blogs.
I have 3 adopted soldiers in Afghanistan right now. It's so sad that so many people aren't even aware of what's really going on. It shouldn't be that way at all.
Posted by: yankeemom at December 15, 2007 05:54 AM
~B52~ -----=======>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> !
Taliban is TaliBOOM!! Holy Shia hit the fan?
Operation Shiite On A Shingle 2007!!
Posted by: drstrangeloveb52isok at December 15, 2007 06:01 AM
One can of kick ass delivered to stone age barbarians thanks to the UK/US and Afghani troops.
Not that the BBC reported the numbers of their allies in the Taliscum who died.
Posted by: fidothedog at December 15, 2007 07:23 AM
A major battle and a major victory by Coalition soldiers. Underreported by the MSM. The big media also don't want Americans to know how well the Afghan military forces are working now. Several years of hard, diligent training have produced a number of Afghan army and police units that have turned the table on the Taliban and also won the respect and support of much of the populace.
The war is not won as long as Pakistan provides a safe harbor for the Taliban. But now, Afghanistan has become a very dangerous place for any Taliban to enter.
Posted by: TomR at December 15, 2007 11:30 AM
Thanks Tom, great story, hopefully Pakistan will get behind the war on terror and actively drive them out, I see that Musharef has restored their constitution, I just don't have any faith in the Paki's will or ability.
Posted by: Jack at December 15, 2007 01:24 PM
The Taliban and war lords are using the wealth of the poppy fields to finance their terrorist organization and activities. This will be a constant battle with continued loss of life to US, NATO, and Afghan troops and police until the Afghan government succeeds in eradicating the poppy crops and replaces them with something else to sustain their people and economy.
Too bad the Defeatocrats spend all their time investigating and attacking George Bush and his administration instead of working with the White House and our allies to more constructively help the Afghan government in this effort. That would go a long way to building a permanent solution and bringing the heroic troops home as soon as possible.
Of course, we must put real pressure on Pakistan to deal with the Taliban and al Qaeda on their side of the border.
Democrats saying that they support our troops is all election talk and no action.
Posted by: Les at December 15, 2007 05:10 PM
The Taliban is Taliboom! Hope these islamomaniacs run out of virgins in casbah heaven's harem, and that they'll have to settle for Helen Thomas, Janet Reno and Rosie O'Donnell burka look alikes!
YIKES 2007!!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at December 15, 2007 09:14 PM
Yankeemom, it is outragous how the media just will not tell the great stories about how our troops are doing and they succcess they are having.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:12 PM
drstrangeloveb52isok, LOL love how you put that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:15 PM
fidothedog, exactly, I bet the BBC hates to hear of news like this.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:24 PM
Tom...."Afghanistan has become a very dangerous place for any Taliban to enter."....I love that. Our troops have worked so hard and our ally's along side them to make a hgue difference.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:27 PM
Jack I agree, Pakistan is not secure for us in that we can rely on them a lot. It is questionable for sure.
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:29 PM
Les it sure is all election talk from them. I agree if only they would spend less time with their hate agenda and give full support for the war and our troops. ( dreaming here I know)
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:33 PM
Darth, LOL onew would think the virgin count is very low. hahahha
Posted by: Wild Thing at December 15, 2007 11:33 PM
