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Afghanistan |
Commander: Taliban ready to battle NATO |
2007-03-08 |
A top Taliban commander said Wednesday the group has 4,000 fighters bracing to rebuff NATO's largest-ever offensive in northern Afghanistan, now in its second day. Suicide bombers are ready, land mines have been planted and helicopters will be targeted, Mullah Abdul Qassim, the top Taliban commander in Helmand province told The Associated Press. Speaking by satellite telephone from Operation Achilles, comprising some 4,500 NATO and 1,000 Afghan troops, is focused on securing lawless regions of northern Helmand — the world's biggest poppy-growing region. The offensive follows a mission last fall that wiped out hundreds of militants who fought in formation in neighboring Kandahar province, prompting NATO spokesman Col. Tom Collins to say this week the military would welcome a repeat of those tactics. Qassim said the Taliban would adapt to conditions on the ground this time around. "The Taliban know traditional fighting," he said. "If we need to fight in a group, we will. If we need a suicide attack, we will do that. If we need ambushes and guerrilla fighting, we will do that." Collins said Wednesday that NATO was confident it would succeed in helping the government move into the region, though he said it would "take a while to get there." "We've established a presence and in some areas it's a heavy presence, and we're trying to disrupt the Taliban's senior leadership in the area and try to separate them from trying to rally" the Taliban's locally recruited soldiers, said Collins. Helmand is the world's largest poppy-growing region, and U.N. officials say the Taliban derives tens — if not hundreds — of millions of dollars from the crop. NATO also says the Taliban is deeply involved in the drug trade, though Qassim denied that, saying the Taliban had eradicated opium poppies when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001. The Taliban leader said the militants control all of Helmand, and said the provincial governor hasn't been to the region in weeks, instead choosing to operate from Kabul, the capital. "Every day we have been firing rockets at the British bases, but soldiers are not coming out," he said. "They're not fighting with us. We are ready, but they are staying inside." |
Posted by:Fred |
#14 AlanC: that is a classis routine. LOL! On a serious note: why not drop a load of Agent Orange on the poppy fields when the Taliwahackers are hiding in there? I am sure we still have some left over and this would give us a place to dispose of it and save a bundle on the enviromentally friendly way of breaking it down. Removes the coverage for the NATO guys and then in 20 years or so, when the bad guys start coughing up lungs or whatever, we can then place them there and they will not be able to deny it. As for the 'innocent farmers', give then 24 hour notice to shag ass outa town. just a thought. |
Posted by: USN, ret. 2007-03-08 22:37 |
#13 The Taliban is trying to pull a Tet in Afghanistan, since they do NOT have a military chance in Hell of winning. Tet was a military disaster of the first order for the VC/NVA but it served as a major political victory because of Walter Cronkite; the Taliban is trying for the same type of victory. Not going to happen this time around. |
Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-03-08 22:36 |
#12 Reminds me of the dialogue between the French guard and King Arthur in Monte Python movie: Substitute talibunny for French guard and NATO for King Arthur and you have it. I wave my private parts at your aunties, you cheesy lot of second hand electric donkey-bottom biters. |
Posted by: JohnQC 2007-03-08 17:36 |
#11 AP's RAHIM FAIEZ same asshat who happened to orchestrate the last post car bombing party. the one with the "outraged" Afghani farmer and march last week. |
Posted by: RD 2007-03-08 10:49 |
#10 This immediately brought to mind the old Bill Cosby routine about having a coin toss at before the start of a battle. "Captain Custer this is Captain Sitting Bull, call the toss Cus'. Custer called heads.....it's a tails (Heh)......." |
Posted by: AlanC 2007-03-08 10:41 |
#9 More taliwackers to allan and his goat virgins. And there is a down side to this? |
Posted by: DarthVader 2007-03-08 09:51 |
#8 Is it just me, or is the Spring Offensives recently become more and more like simple target practice for NATO? |
Posted by: BA 2007-03-08 09:19 |
#7 And, as usual, I'm sure Mullah Abdul will be right out in front leading the charge. |
Posted by: tu3031 2007-03-08 09:15 |
#6 And then Mullah Abdullah said, "I'll huff and puff and blooow your house down." And then the three little pigs started down the road with 46 Canadian tanks and full air support and lots of fully trained soldiers. And then Mullah Abdullah told his 16 year old, poorly trained, poorly equipped kids, "I'll huff and puff and blooow their house down, so stand your ground, and I'll supervise with my cell phone in Quetta." |
Posted by: whatadeal 2007-03-08 07:36 |
#5 From RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press Writer Making it clear once again whose side the AP is on. Should be fun. The MSM is going to be crapping in their pants when they see the bad guy body count. Wonder how they are going to bury this story. |
Posted by: Icerigger 2007-03-08 07:22 |
#4 Subject to the ROPers definition fighting, I presume? |
Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-08 06:44 |
#3 Several towns in Helmand, Afghanistan are already surrounded. NATO planned a rendering operation, and they are already well on the way to crushing the Taliban. By May, they won't have a single terror staging ground. As long our UN dues keep paying for phony Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan, the terror will continue. Think of all the new Midtown housing that could be built on what is now UN land. The UN was put on US soil because of the devastation in post war Europe. Let the Euros have it. |
Posted by: Sneaze 2007-03-08 05:50 |
#2 Spring has sprung - time to ramp it back up to 50 Talebs KIA per day. Singed beards ahoy. |
Posted by: Howard UK 2007-03-08 04:50 |
#1 Tallybunnies you haven't been doing too well in the battle. Better leave it alone unless you want your sorry asses kicked some more. |
Posted by: JohnQC 2007-03-08 00:30 |