The Battle of Arghandab - June 2008

[jollyjacktar]

Did a search did not find this story, Mods please feel free to delete merge as you see fit.  Seems to dovetail nicely into the prison break attack of last week.

Updated Mon. Jun. 16 2008 1:25 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Hundreds of Taliban fighters have taken over several villages in a district just north of Kandahar City, a local official says.

Mohammad Farooq, the government leader in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province, said Monday that about 500 Taliban had moved into what has been considered a relatively peaceful district.

A tribal leader said the militants could easily use the many grape and pomegranate orchards to mount an attack on Kandahar itself, where a brazen attack on a prison last week freed about 400 Taliban fighters.

"All of Arghandab is made of orchards. The militants can easily hide and easily fight," said Haji Ikramullah Khan.

"It's quite close to Kandahar," Khan added. "During the Russian war, the Russians didn't even occupy Arghandab, because when they fought here they suffered big casualties."

Walid Karzai, brother of President Hamid Karzai, told The Canadian Press on Monday that he's also worried the Taliban could mount attacks within Kandahar.

"There are also strong rumours that they will attack Kandahar city at certain strategic points. My house, the governor's house (and) the police station," he said.

"Whenever they get close to Kandahar city, there could be problems. Every one in Kabul is very much concerned," said Karzai, who serves as president of the provincial council.

NATO reaction

NATO spokesperson Mark Laity said NATO and Afghan military officials are sending troops to the district to "meet any potential threats."

Laity seemed to link the jailbreak with the Taliban push into Arghandab.

"It's fair to say that the jailbreak has put a lot of people (rebels) into circulation who weren't there before, and so obviously you're going to respond to that potential threat," he said.

Arghandab used to be the fiefdom of Mullah Naqib, a former Taliban supporter who switched sides in 2001.

The leader of the powerful Alokozai tribe died in October, and there were fears a power vacuum would emerge.

The Taliban did attempt to penetrate the district shortly after Naqib's death, but Canadian and Afghan troops said they pushed them out.

"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," Canada's Maj. Eric Landry told reporters in Kandahar on Nov. 1, 2007.

However, new district leader Kareemullah Naqibi, Mullah Naqib's son, had trouble winning the confidence of village elders.

Gen. Dan McNeil, the commander of the International Stabilization and Assistance Force, announced in mid-December 2007 that a forward operating base would be constructed in the district.

The move was seen as a way to shore up support for Naqibi, who is only 25.

Besides Mullah Naqib's death, two other leaders in Arghandab have been killed.

Police commander Abdul Hakim Jan, died in February. He was one of more than 100 people killed by a suicide bombing at a dog fight in Kandahar.

Earlier this month, gunmen shot and killed Malim Akbar Khakrezwal, 55. He was a former mujahedeen leader and a key supporter of Naqibi.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press

 

[Old Sweat]

I hate negative thinking in cases like this. The Taliban found out the hard way they couldn't win conventional battles in 2006 and part of 2007; are they going to have to be taught the same lesson again? Here is a chance to administer a major thrashing to the bad guys.

 

[GAP]

Here's another article in the same vein.....

Kandahar City quiet despite threat of Taliban attack
Allied forces mobilizing into the region to 'meet any potential threats'
Doug Schmidt , Canwest News Service Published: Monday, June 16, 2008
Article Link

KANDAHAR CITY, Afghanistan - A nervous quiet descended over Kandahar City on Monday night after hundreds of Taliban fighters moved into an adjacent district and took control of a number of villages, with scores of terrified residents fleeing from their homes.

Canadian and other NATO soldiers have joined Afghan national security forces, including 500 Afghan National Army troops flown in from Kabul, and moved into positions between the insurgents and Afghanistan's second-largest city. The Taliban, who began infiltrating Arghandab District on Sunday night, have vowed to use their position at Kandahar City's doorstep to "march in" and take over the city from where their movement began in 1994.

The bold threat comes just days after a spectacular and daring assault on the city's Sarposa Prison saw the escape of about 800 prisoners, including 400 Islamic militants. Very few of the fugitives, and only one militant, have been recaptured.
More on link

 

[PuckChaser]

Guess they didn't learn from October when we sent them packing with their tails between their legs, and a whole whack of casualties.

 

[wannabe SF member]

If we manage to break their back on this one, won't it negate any gains they might have acquired from the sarposa prison break? Not to mention the moral blow this could inflict to them.

 

[PuckChaser]

My theory is that if they needed to bust a whole whack of fighters out of prison, they are having recruiting problems within the local population, and needed to gain some numbers back.

 

[geo]

From a personal perspective, a large body of Taliban - initiating large fullscale operations against ISAF is a GOOD thing.  Each and every time the TB has gone head to head against ISAF, we've served them their head on a platter.

So, by all mans, launch a large fullsacle operation.... PLEASE!

 

[Garett]

Are they retarded? Targets up......

 

[RHFC_piper]

Reading this makes me wish I could get back over there again and feed it too 'em like we did in '06/07


Go get 'em, troops.

As Garett put it;

Targets up

:mg:

 

[blacktriangle]

Me thinks those guys were safer in prison.

 

[armyvern]

Seems the Taliban has now taken to blowing up some bridges ...

Reproduced under the Fairdealings provisions of the Copyright Act ...

Taliban bomb bridges as fear of large-scale attack grows

Last Updated: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | 5:20 AM ET CBC News

Heavily armed Taliban fighters bombed bridges and planted landmines in the villages surrounding Kandahar on Tuesday, as residents fled the area in fear that militants were preparing to launch a full-scale attack on the city, officials and residents said.

"Last night, people were afraid, and families on tractors, trucks and taxis fled the area," said Sardar Mohammad, a police officer manning a checkpoint on the east side of the Arghandab River.

He estimated that more than 700 families — 4,000 people in all — had fled the Arghandab region of Afghanistan, which is about 15 kilometres northwest of Kandahar city. He said the Taliban has seized control of nine or 10 villages in the region, which was once a Taliban stronghold.

The fears of a Taliban attack came after insurgents launched a sophisticated attack on Friday on Kandahar's Sarposa prison that freed 400 Taliban detainees.

The Canadian Forces, which have about 2,500 soldiers stationed primarily in the Kandahar province, has been increasing its focus on Kandahar since the jailbreak. Canadian soldiers have been seen manning roadside checkpoints with Afghan national soldiers in the Arghandab region.

The Afghan army, meanwhile, has flown four planeloads of soldiers from the capital of Kabul to Kandahar for reinforcements, while Afghan police and troops have enforced a strict 10 p.m. curfew in the city.

Some fighters freed in jailbreak
Canadian military officials have not yet commented publicly on the rumours of an imminent attack, and neither has NATO, which is leading the foreign mission in Afghanistan.

It's unclear how many Taliban fighters have moved into Arghandab, with estimates ranging from 150 to 600. Some of the fighters were freed in the jailbreak.

"We've occupied most of the area, and it's a good place for fighting," Mullah Ahmedullah, a Taliban commander, told the Associated Press. "Now we are waiting for the NATO and Afghan forces."

Residents fleeing Arghandab say they are losing their livelihoods by quitting the region. Arghandab is a lush area filled with grape and pomegranate groves, and many residents say the crops need to be harvested in coming days.

"They told us to leave the area within 24 hours, because they want to fight foreign and Afghan troops," said Haji Ibrahim Khan, relaying what Taliban fighters told him. "But within a week we should be harvesting, and we were expecting a good one."

"Now with this fighting, we are deeply worried. The grapes are the only source of income we have."

 

[The Bread Guy]

A few highlights from the early morning wires....

Canadian Press:  "Taliban fighters stormed onto the doorstep of Afghanistan's second-largest city Monday, seizing villages, bombing small bridges, and scattering landmines to keep Canadian and international troops at bay.  The head of the Kandahar provincial council and brother of President Hamid Karzai said the rebels claimed control of numerous villages and were rumoured to be planning attacks on a bigger target: Kandahar city.  Canadian soldiers are playing a major role in a multinational push to keep the Taliban from advancing and are accompanied by the Afghan army and U.S. special forces, said Ahmed Wali Karzai.  But their path was blocked by bombed-out culverts and landmines planted by the rebels, he added.  Karzai said the Taliban had nabbed control of more than a half-dozen villages in the lush Arghandab river valley, just next door to Kandahar city, the birthplace of the Taliban....."

CanWest/National Post:  "A nervous quiet descended over Kandahar City last night after hundreds of Taliban fighters moved into an adjacent district and took control of a number of villages, with scores of terrified residents fleeing their homes.  Canadian and other NATO soldiers have joined Afghan national security forces, including 500 Afghan National Army troops flown in from Kabul, and moved into positions between the insurgents and Kandahar City, Afghanistan's second-largest city.  The Taliban, who began infiltrating the Arghandab District on Sunday night, have vowed to use their position at Kandahar City's doorstep to "march in" and take over the city from where their movement began in 1994 ....  Coalition forces and local politicians are confident the amassed insurgents, who have laid mines and blown up bridges surrounding their positions, are no real threat to Kandahar...."

Reuters:  "Scores of families fled their homes in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday as foreign and Afghan forces prepare to drive out Taliban insurgents who have overrun several villages, officials and witnesses said.  About 600 Taliban insurgents took over several villages in Arghandab district in the south on Monday, days after they had freed hundreds of prisoners, including about 400 militants, after an attack on the main jail in Kandahar city.  "There are hundreds of them (Taliban) with sophisticated weapons. They have blown up several bridges and are planting mines everywhere," Mohammad Usman, a taxi driver who evacuated a family on Tuesday from the district, told reporters in Kandahar.  Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of Kandahar's provincial council and a brother of President Hamid Karzai, said about 600 Taliban had positioned themselves in Arghandab district, which lies 20 km (12 miles) to the north of Kandahar city, one of Afghanistan's largest cities.  He did not know if the militants included the 400 set free in the jailbreak.  The development prompted NATO and Afghan forces to deploy troops to seal off the area to drive the militants from the district, which has an estimated population of 150,000.  NATO troops have dropped leaflets by air warning people to leave the district, fleeing villagers said ...."

Agence France Presse (1):  "NATO helicopters dropped leaflets on two Afghan villages asking residents to leave ahead of an operation to drive out hundreds of Taliban rebels, residents and officials said on Tuesday.  Around 500 Islamist rebels massed in the villages outside Kandahar late Monday following a brazen insurgent attack at the weekend that busted more than 1,000 prisoners out of the southern city's main jail.  "Hundreds of Afghan soldiers have been deployed in the region to clear the insurgents from the area," defence ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.  Residents leaving the area said that the NATO-led International Assistance Force (ISAF) had dropped leaflets on the two villages in insurgency-hit Arghandab district warning them to move to safer places.  "Last evening NATO choppers dropped leaflets on our village, asking us to leave the village before they launch an operation," Abdul Mohammad, a resident of Ta-been village told AFP while on his way to Kandahar city.  An AFP reporter visiting the area said that dozens of NATO and Afghan security forces had set up checkposts searching vehicles and people leaving the troubled district.  "We confirm that leaflets were dropped and radio messages were broadcast," ISAF spokesman General Carlos Branco told AFP. He could not say what the papers said ....."

Agence France Presse (2):  "Hundreds of residents fled villages and Taliban militants blew up a bridge near Kandahar on Tuesday as Afghan and NATO troops prepared for a possible offensive, officials said.  Up to 500 Islamist rebels massed in the villages in Arghandab district late Monday following a brazen insurgent attack at the weekend that busted more than 1,000 prisoners out of the main southern city's main jail.  The wave of unrest has piled pressure on President Hamid Karzai, who responded at the weekend by saying that Afghan forces would be justified in attacking militants on the soil of neighbouring Pakistan.  "Hundreds of families have left, we requested them to leave. Around 300 to 400 Taliban are on the move in the district, they are not stationed in one location," defence ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi told AFP.  The Taliban had blown up one bridge "so far" in the district, he said, adding that hundreds of Afghan soldiers had been deployed in Arghandab "to clear the insurgents from the area." ...."

New York Times:  "Hundreds of Taliban fighters have swarmed into a strategically important district just outside Kandahar, the biggest city in southern Afghanistan, apparently in a push for control just days after 400 Taliban members escaped in a spectacular breakout from the Kandahar prison, officials said Monday.  Afghan military reinforcements arrived in Kandahar on Monday and have already deployed in Kandahar Province, said a NATO spokesman, Mark Laity. The soldiers flew from Kabul and more can be expected to follow, he said. NATO forces based in Kandahar Province have also redeployed to be better prepared for any potential threat, he said.  A government spokesman, Parwez Najib, confirmed the news that Taliban fighters had infiltrated parts of the district, Arghandab. “There is not fighting yet,” he said. Afghan and foreign forces are aware of the presence of the Taliban, he added.  It was unclear whether any of the fighters were among the prison escapees ....."

Al Jazeera:  "Afghan and Nato forces are redeploying troops around the southern city of Kandahar in preparation for a possible large-scale battle with the Taliban.  The soldiers have sealed off the Arghandab district just 30km north of Kandahar where the Taliban claims around 500 of its fighters are now in control of 10 villages.  Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Kandahar, said the authorities had imposed a curfew and soldiers were building defensive lines, taking up positions on rooftops and patrolling just about everywhere as they await reinforcements for a counterattack on the areas taken by the Taliban.  Mark Laity, a Nato spokesman, said Nato and Afghan troops were being redeployed to the region to "meet any potential threats".  The Taliban offensive comes just few days after a suicide attack on Kandahar's main jail freed more than 1,000 prisoners.  "It's fair to say that the jailbreak has put a lot of people [fighters] into circulation who were not there before, and so obviously you're going to respond to that potential threat," Laity said.  And with hundreds of its fighters controlling a large area north of Kandahar, the Taliban seems to be sending a message that seven years after being toppled, it is still a major force in Afghanistan ...."

 

[OldSolduer]

How can I get there within 48 hours??? Who's with me??? :sniper: :mg: :cam:

WATCH AND SHOOT!

I just hope none of our guys get wounded or worse.....knock on wood.

 

[TrexLink]

Releasing the prisoners was not, I suspect, related to a critical shortage of recruits. It was more likely on one hand a masterful PR stroke, telling the world (and especially the Afghans), "Hey, we're still here and still a viable, capable force, capable of going anywhere and doing whatever we want!"  On the other hand, it certainly was a damned good Phase One for a small campaign in the villages. Our ability to respond immediately has been reduced to some extent. NATO forces are no doubt tired and will now need to be redeployed. At another level, Taliban morale must have really improved, and what's the second principle of war? Not only have they achieved a stunning victory but they have created the impression among their troops that if they are captured, somebody will come for them.

This whole thing reminds me of the 1968 Tet offensive. The VC and NVA were actually pretty well shattered in the South by the time it ended. Nevertheless, it was a major coup and played a significant part in their final victory. The American people wound up (not all that correctly) convinced that the enemy was all-powerful and could do whatever it wanted to, while the allies were a bunch of inept fools and the that the war was unwinnable.  That perception was Ho's victory, and it proved critical.

One hopes that there has been a new stock of virgins laid on in heaven, because otherwise there are going to be a lot of disappointed ex-Taliban.  That notwithstanding, it is how NATO achieves its inevitable victory that will prove crucial in the long run.

 

[Kilo_302]

I only hope that the Taliban haven't learned their lessons from the past few summers regarding conventional battles.  It's easy to be casual about this, but while its clear that NATO and ANA forces WILL defeat the Taliban in any engagements that might occur in the next few days, it's also clear that many civilians will most likely be killed, and that doesn't help NATO no matter who is responsible.

 

[GAP]

This whole thing reminds me of the 1968 Tet offensive. The VC and NVA were actually pretty well shattered in the South by the time it ended. Nevertheless, it was a major coup and played a significant part in their final victory. The American people wound up (not all that correctly) convinced that the enemy was all-powerful and could do whatever it wanted to, while the allies were a bunch of inept fools and the that the war was unwinnable.  That perception was Ho's victory, and it proved critical.

One hopes that there has been a new stock of virgins laid on in heaven, because otherwise there are going to be a lot of disappointed ex-Taliban.  That notwithstanding, it is how NATO achieves its inevitable victory that will prove crucial in the long run.

Someone is doing some pretty good strategic thinking here......This does have the hint of the Tet  Offensive, and I have this hunch that this is not the end of it.  If someone can initiate diversionary tactics at this level, there are probably more surprises in Pandora's Box....I just hope NATO troops and commanders don't get complacent and assume everything will work out.

The blowing of bridges, mines, etc kinda tells you someone somewhere has a gameplan.....

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

I'm sure someone high up on our side has read Sun Tzu

 

[TrexLink]

Someone is doing some pretty good strategic thinking here

Well, to quote Uma Thurman, "It's mercy, forgiveness and compassion I lack, not rationality."  Nobody ever accused the Taliban of being stupid.

 

[vonGarvin]

I'm someone high up on our side has read Sun Tzu

I'm not high up, though I am on our side, I have read Sun Tzu.

 

[Kaplan]

I honestly think that this will wind up being one of the last stands for the Taliban in the South. I wonder if the Taliban tought blowing up those bridges would win them favour in the district?