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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| Operation Mountain Storm Launched In Afghanistan | |
| 2004-03-12 | |
| Just reported as "Breaking News" on FOX News; no link as of this post. The search for Here's the text... The U.S. military has launched a new offensive in Afghanistan called "Operation Mountain Storm" aimed at rooting out elements of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, Pentagon officials said Friday. Though Mountain Storm is a new operation, it is also a continuation of a series of efforts that began last summer and fall. Those operations, including one called Mountain Resolve, aimed to drive terrorist elements out of the south of Afghanistan and some areas of the north, and back toward the border with Pakistan. U.S. military officials have called the strategic technique "hammer and anvil." Now, U.S. and other coalition forces — including elements of the Afghan National Army — will be working the Afghan side of the border in pursuit of Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants holed up in the mountains. Military officials said the specific intent was to locate and neutralize any "high value" targets to be found there. Military officials said no new U.S. forces will be committed to Mountain Storm. Of the 11,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan, it is not clear how many will participate in the sweep through the border region.
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| Posted by:Raj |
#7 Eventually we'll have to go in and kill them and their supporters.Works for me! Let's make it sooner rather that eventually. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-3-12 11:12:35 PM |
| #6 From Strategy Page --- probably a big part of this... INFANTRY: Task Force 121 and Alexander the Great March 12, 2004: Task Force 121, a force of over a thousand US Special Forces troops, intelligence experts, special aviation personnel and commandoes (from the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada) has been sent to Afghanistan to catch Osama bin Laden. Their prey is thought to be hiding somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border zone. The unit is touted as being a unique hybrid of civilian intelligence and military striking power. It is unique, and it isn't. The concept behind Task Force 121 is not really all that new, but few nations have been able to put together the right ingredients. Historical examples of operations similar to Task Force 121 are numerous. Alexander the Great brought lots of academics and diplomats when he invaded Persia 2500 years ago. He used brains (lots of good intel and diplomacy) and brawn to get the job done. The Spanish conquistadors used a similar approach 500 years ago to bring down the native empires. By enlisting local support with diplomacy (via knowledge of local politics) and using their superior military technology, they repeated Alexander's feats. The 12th century Mongols used the same combination of brains and muscle, as did the Romans at their prime. Napoleon also used extensive networks of spies and diplomats to facilitate his conquests. One critical elements of Task Force 121 is the US Army Special Forces, which are a unique military organization (in the world, and historically). They are multilingual soldiers who can operate as commandoes or diplomats, as needed. But Task Force 121 will have major technical advantages like UAVs (particularly the Predator), which can watch an area round the clock. In addition, there are electronic warfare units that scan for any emissions in the target area, as well as monitoring of local Internet use. But most important is the network of informants the Special Forces established (on both sides of the Pakistani border) in the past two years. Recruiting informers takes time. Information is the key to victory in this campaign. The commander of Task Force 121 is also a major asset. Rear Admiral William H. McRaven began his navy career as a SEAL commando. He is highly respected as a very honest, smart and physically tough SEAL veteran. He is very well thought of in SOCOM. Many were surprised that he got promoted to Admiral, as he has a reputation for being uncompromising (the higher one rises in any organization, the more pressure there is to compromise in order to get everyone moving in the same direction.) But the key to Task Force 121's success will be information. The border area is over a thousand kilometers long and contains hundreds of mountain valleys, thousands of caves and many villages (often built to look, and act, as a small fortress) where bin Laden could be hiding. The commandoes and Special Forces are excellent at patrolling and staking out remote areas. The New Zealand SAS contingent is noted as the most proficient mountain troops in the world. So wherever bin Laden takes refuge, the Task Force 121 operators can get to him. Task Force 121 has the use of special helicopters that can fly in any weather and at night. Teams of commandoes can be put into remote areas to block escape routes, or grab bin Laden if he comes out of his hole. British SAS commandos, in late 2001, successfully assaulted a major Taliban cave complex in a daring operation that benefited from excellent reconnaissance, planning and daring execution. It will take all of that to catch bin Laden. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2004-3-12 5:06:10 PM |
| #5 Now is the moment, excellent contrast on the scopes. Let's Roll! Cut loose the pups and open the gates! It's showtime! Where's Mr. Guy? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-12 5:02:57 PM |
| #4 Get yer popcorn goin' folks. It's Friday Night At The Fights. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-3-12 4:58:12 PM |
| #3 Here's what's at Fox now: WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has launched a new offensive in Afghanistan (search) called "Operation Mountain Storm" aimed at rooting out elements of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, Pentagon officials said Friday. Though Mountain Storm is a new operation, it is also a continuation of a series of efforts that began last summer and fall. Those operations, including one called Mountain Resolve, aimed to drive terrorist elements out of the south of Afghanistan and some areas of the north, and back toward the border with Pakistan (search). U.S. military officials have called the strategic technique "hammer and anvil." Now, U.S. and other coalition forces — including elements of the Afghan National Army (search) — will be working the Afghan side of the border in pursuit of Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants holed up in the mountains. Military officials said the specific intent was to locate and neutralize any "high value" targets to be found there. Military officials said no new U.S. forces will be committed to Mountain Storm. Of the 11,000 U.S. troops now in Afghanistan, it is not clear how many will participate in the sweep through the border region. Fox News' Bret Baier contributed to this report. Sounds like the afgha.com story covers the anvil |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-3-12 4:51:44 PM |
| #2 If this is the big push to find Binny, I hope the troops have armed themselves with lots of digging implements, baggies for bone and hair samples, and suitable instruments for scraping the latter out of collapsed rat holes. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-3-12 4:26:11 PM |
| #1 This may be related. http://www.afgha.com/?af=article&sid=41899 |
| Posted by: JackAssFestival 2004-3-12 4:23:47 PM |