'Taliban surrounded' outside Kandahar

[geo]

Well,
Anytime you put a large number of irregulars into a head to head confrontation with a large formation of seasoned, organized, well armed and well supported troops, on land of your choosing (+/-) you can only end up with one result... a costly fight for the irregular.

 

[Haletown]

Tim Bits time again.

If they try and hold ground they will be handed their asses and them sum.

 

[Kendrick]

Right in Arghandab...  I should be there with them right now.  Suddenly leave really blows...  everyone better be okay when I get back. 

 

[Haggis]

Right in Arghandab...  I should be there with them right now.  Suddenly leave really blows...  everyone better be okay when I get back. 

The tour's got lots of time left.  I'm sure you'll get another chance to clean house.

Fight safe, fight well.

 

[jollyjacktar]

More news.

Taliban 'Arghandab' offensive halted: Canada
Updated Thu. Nov. 1 2007 10:45 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Afghan and Canadian forces say they have halted a Taliban offensive aimed at a key district sitting just north of Kandahar city in Afghanistan.

"The Afghan national security forces and coalition forces are pushing back the insurgents," Maj. Eric Landry told reporters at Kandahar airfield on Thursday.

Canadian forces have said it has been one of the most organized Taliban offensives they've seen, but Landry said the Taliban are now pulling out of Arghandab district.

"We know that they are leaving because they are encountering less and less resistance," he said.

"They will not come back because we know that the Afghan national security forces will hold the ground and secure the Arghandab district for the (betterment) of the local population.

Large numbers of local residents fled south to Kandahar when heavy fighting began on Monday. Landry said they are certain those families will start returning in the coming days.

Coalition officials claimed Wednesday to have killed 50 Taliban and injured 50 more.

"We're hearing from Afghan sources that the Afghan National Army and police in the area are now patting themselves in the back for a job well done," CTV's Paul Workman told CTV Newsnet earlier, adding they felt the had the Taliban surrounded.

"Other Afghan sources tell us that most of the Taliban fighters slipped out of the area overnight, which often happens under the cover of darkness."

The verdant Arghandab valley -- a complex web of fields and orchards -- is a tough area to work in, Workman said.

If the Taliban did slip out, it may show that Afghan police aren't yet ready to control the area, he said.

Arghandab is only 25 kilometres from Kandahar city and can be thought of as a northern gateway to the capital, he said.

Mullah Naqib, a pro-Canadian veteran of the 1980s resistance to the Soviet occupation, had been in charge of the area but died several weeks ago.

"We have always been looking for a chance to take Arghandab," Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi, told The Globe and Mail by telephone. "Now we have a chance."

Other battles

Mullah Mansour Dadullah, the Taliban's military commander in southern Afghanistan, promised to keep up the fight.

"Our operations are blazing across the southern provinces, and we shall reach the northern provinces in the same manner," he said in an Internet video.

Afghan and NATO troops battled the Taliban in Gulitsan, located in western Farah province.

However, the Taliban overran Bakwa, another neighboring centre, on Wednesday.

A raid in the Bati Kot district of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province ended tragically.

"While resisting multiple requests to surrender, the militant barricaded himself in a room. Unbeknownst to Afghan forces, his family was barricaded in the room with him," the U.S. military said in a statement.

"The team began receiving small arms fire after they entered the compound and they returned fire," it said. "It wasn't until after the hostilities had stopped and the team had performed a search of the room that they found two children dead."

The militant also died. A woman and child suffered wounds and were treated at a coalition facility.

Afghan government and NATO officials have accused the Taliban of needlessly putting civilian lives at risk, in part by fighting in homes and built-up areas.

With files from The Associated Press

 

[geo]

Arghandab is only 25 kilometres from Kandahar city and can be thought of as a northern gateway to the capital, he said.

when you're on foot, 25 km is a good hump... not that close at all
If you have troops in a LAV or a Leo2 on your tail, the 25 Km will probably the end of ya

 

[GAP]

In other places at the same time......

Afghan Forces Kill Senior Enemy Commander, Several Fighters
American Forces Press Service
Article Link

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2007 - Afghan security forces killed a top-ranking enemy commander, identified as Malawi Abdul Manan, along with several other enemy fighters in Afghanistan's Khost province Oct. 28, officials announced today.
Afghan soldiers spotted 12 enemy fighters attempting to infiltrate from Pakistan near a border checkpoint in the Spira district. They set up an ambush, engaged the fighters with small-arms fire, and killed several, including the infamous Abdul Manan.

In addition to leading a large contingent of militants, Manan also was responsible for the movement of both insurgent fighters and weapons across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Originally from Kandahar province, Abdul Manan later became the senior Haqqani commander of enemy fighters in the Paktia, Paktika and Khost provinces of eastern Afghanistan and was compared to the late Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah Lang, killed by Afghan and coalition forces in May, for his span of control, influence and corruption

"The death of Abdul Manan is a tremendous blow for the enemy and a great success by the Afghan national security forces here in Afghanistan," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. "We are glad to see this important player removed from the picture here in eastern Afghanistan. He was a criminal and an enemy of the Afghan people. His death is huge setback, which will send the enemy into a tailspin. It will slow their ability to conduct attacks and the (Afghan national security forces) and coalition forces will be ready to take full advantage of their confusion."

In operations today in Afghanistan, national forces supported by a small team of coalition troops raided a compound in Amber Khaneh in the Bati Kot district of Nangarhar province, resulting in the death of a militant.

While resisting multiple requests to surrender, the militant barricaded himself in a room. Unbeknownst to Afghan forces, his family was barricaded in the room with him.
More on link

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Meanwhile back at the ranch......


Taliban leader vows winter war spreading to north
Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:24pm EDT  DUBAI (Reuters) - A Taliban leader vowed in a video posted on the Internet on Wednesday that the insurgents would expand their fighting to the north of Afghanistan during the country's hard winter.

"God willing, ... the war will continue in the winter with the same intensity as now," Mullah Mansour Dadullah said on the video posted on an Islamist Web site. (good luck with this new strategy  : )

"Our operations are blazing across the southern provinces, and we shall reach the northern provinces in the same manner," said Mullah Mansour in Pashto on the video, which carried Arabic subtitles.

Mullah Mansour took over as commander of Taliban forces in the southern province of Helmand in May from his brother, Mullah Dadullah, who was killed in a raid by British forces.

Mainly British and U.S. forces have been engaged in almost daily battles with Taliban rebels in Helmand.

Mullah Mansour said the Taliban also had contact with insurgents in Iraq.

"We exchange information on planning attacks against the enemy, as well as on weapons that are developed on the battlefronts," the Taliban leader told an off-camera interviewer as he sat in what appeared to be a tent.

The video was produced by al Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab, which said it was made during a visit to the Taliban commander by al Qaeda's leader in Afghanistan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid. The recording carried the date of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in around mid-October.

Mansour denied the Taliban received aid from Iran.

"This is a claim that the Americans make to justify their defeat to the world," he said.

Taliban have launched a spate of suicide bombings, after claims by Afghan, NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces to have subdued insurgents in an aggressive spring campaign against Taliban strongholds in the south and east.
© Reuters2007All rights reserved

 

[Armymedic]

This is huge:

Afghan security forces killed a top-ranking enemy commander, identified as Malawi Abdul Manan,

Well done, boys.

 

[midget-boyd91]

Mansour denied the Taliban received aid from Iran.

"This is a claim that the Americans make to justify their defeat to the world," he said

I guess he's not exactly sure which side toppled who from power. That, or he's still in denial.  ;D

 

[Journeyman]

"There are a lot of wild stories going on here," one local said.

Yep. Stories of Taliban routed and leadership killed off....and suddenly the media's credible 

 

[WLSC]

Right in Arghandab...  I should be there with them right now.  Suddenly leave really blows...  everyone better be okay when I get back.

Everybody is ok.  You'v mist it...again... ;D :blotto:

 

[yak]

No bias there, eh?  I hate CITY TV.....


From what I gather over the OTHER news sites is that it is some 25 km to the north of the city.  Close?  Sure, but "just outside" the city limits?  Gimme a break!
AND the photo they have is of the TALIBAN, not our lads and lasses!  Imagine a news story of D-Day showing a bunch of Wehrmacht soldiers?  Putzes!

I was looking at some other news sites, originally there was mention in some them of Arghandab being 235km north of the city, which is clearly wrong.  As to 25km, that's a tad far too, Arghandab actually starts right on the NW side of the city althought most of the fighting was a (very) few km north.  25km is nearly Shaw Wali Kot, I'd say.  A long hump when one is getting chased by LAVs though.  I'd probably run all the way to Pakistan if that bunch of angry Frenchmen with guns  were chasing me, it seems that this came off pretty well all in all, touch wood.  I suspect there was a lot of dismounted work for the boys, given the terrain, and well done.

As far as 'right outside the city', well, there's plenty going on all way round the city, right up to and inside.  Care to drive on Hwy 4, anyone?  Or Hwy 1 west of the KC?  The news reports sound pretty accurate until you actually see for yourself, which is disappointing but not too surprising I guess. 

 

[geo]

Uhhh.... who'se an angry frenchman?

If you're refering to Roto 4's R22R then you are surely refering to some angry Canadians - cause I don't think France has any ground troops in the area.... (capisce?)

 

[yak]

Ha.  Just being silly about having a bunch of gunned up Vandoos following me north from KC...not my idea of a good time if I were TB. 

I'd have made some other sort of backhanded comment regardless of who was doing the chasing, intended as a compliment of course.  Bad enough driving around the city - I can't imagine doing compound clearing or chasing ins through a grapefield.

From all accounts they did a pretty good job. 

 

[PuckChaser]

Thank god I'm still here for a few more days, and got to see the reports of just how much the TB got their a$$es kicked. 

 

[RHFC_piper]

This may sound, well, odd... and I don't mean to pick at wounds, but I'm glad to see the TB are trying the "head on" game again.  You can fight a guy with a gun, not some much IEDs.
I'd rather be shot at than worry about the spineless IED attacks.

Besides, we've learned that in a head to head battle, they don't stand a ice cubes chance in hell.  But they're so greased up on goofers that they don't care.
Let's hope they don't wise up, then we can keep handing them their asses on a white and yellow Toyota taxi all across Kandahar.

Our troops are giving it to them with both hands... Keep up the good work.

 

[geo]

Nothing wrong at all RHFCpiper.... We LOVE mano y mano "in your face" confrontations.  This we can handle very well.... You would have thought that someone would have wised up to the fact that irregulars will never succeed in open combat against an organised opponent (except with overwhelming force).

C'mon down guys, we'll be a waitin!

 

[RHFC_piper]

Nothing wrong at all RHFCpiper.... We LOVE mano y mano "in your face" confrontations.  This we can handle very well....

I mentioned to someone before that I was more comfortable dismounting for a tick and getting shot at by a guy I could shoot back at, rather than driving down the road, watching the CSAM wondering which car was going to ram us and explode, and they looked at me like I was certifiable.  Didn't want to freak people out or offend anyone, 'cause, of course, I'm more comfortable not being shot at or blown up.... if I had a choice.  ;D

You would have thought that someone would have wised up to the fact that irregulars will never succeed in open combat against an organised opponent (except with overwhelming force).

C'mon down guys, we'll be a waitin!

Even with "overwhelming odds" they still suck.  Every time they were engaged in Panjwayi, by any tour, they had relatively superior numbers, and yet they still get thumped.
Goes to show that infantry can't win it all by themselves (not saying they're any kind of good infantry), it takes a combined effort to fight effectively... along with training, the ability to actually aim, etc.  They may have many little red fire ants scurrying around in the sand, but our magnifying glasses are "area of effect" weapons, and that makes all the difference.
In all reality, judging by our support elements and the lack of theirs, we will always have the favourable odds in battle. Even when we get pushed out of a fight (3 Sep 06) we still manages to thump them with air and arty support and win the battle (the remaining battle group).

I'm not one for assuming, but I'm sure the BG CoC over there has learned from all the previous fights we've been in with the TB and have developed an effective method to combat their shabby-force tactics... otherwise we probably would have heard about more friendly casualties by now. 
But, No... They're kicking a$$ and taking names.

Keep the good news comin'! 

 

[Kiwi99]

I would disagree with Piper with regards to the Taliban fighting capabilities.  Yes, they are not the best fighters in the world, but they are by no means the worst.  They have won battles, Aug 3rd and Sept 3rd 2006 as example.  And with regards to their apparently huge losses, I call BS.  No enemy is dead unless you walk up and kick the body.  The TB are effective fighters that use sound tactics on most occasions.  To say that they are useless doped up spray and pray types does nothing except put your soldiers in a poor mindset that does not respect the enemies capabilities.

The enemy researches us just as we research him.  He has adapted to us as we adapt to him.  We are reacting to him more than he reacts to us.  If the enemy is as poorly trained and as useless as Piper suggests, we should have won the war by now.  And if the body  count 'estimates' were in fact true, we have killed every TB 5 times over.

As for BGs learning from the ones before, again, I doubt it.  I recall the current commander stating that everything done prior to this tour was a waste of time and that they were going to fix it.  If I had a dime for every person who told me not to worry, "I've been to Kabul" whenever my fellow NCOs or myself tried to pass on info in Aug 06, I would have like $5