Chasing shadows
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The News International, Pakistan, Saturday, July 04, 2009
There is a sense of weary familiarity about the latest push by the Americans in Afghanistan. This is the first time President Obama has gone to battle using his own people and his own war-plans. His troops are up against the Taliban of Helmand province and it is all done with an eye to national elections in Afghanistan in August. To nobody's great surprise the first day of the operation which is called Khanjar (dagger in Dari and Pashtu but translated somewhat clumsily by the Marines as 'Strike of the Sword'), has yielded little. Almost 4,000 American troops and about 650 Afghan police and soldiers had by dusk on the first day taken the southern Khanishin district, entering the main town with no resistance. A US Marines spokesman, First Lieutenant Kurt Stahl said…"The helicopter insert has put all troops on the ground now in Garmser and Nawa," referring to districts that are key targets of the assault. "Half of the objectives have been secured by nightfall, ahead of schedule. Slight resistance has been met" he said. The 'slight resistance' has so far seen one marine killed and another reportedly captured. The Taliban for their part have said that they have 'thousands' of troops ready to fight the Americans and their Afghan allies, but if recent history is anything to go by, the Americans may find themselves chasing shadows across a dusty Helmand – as the Taliban rarely commit units larger than platoon-size and avoid conventional set-piece war-fighting.
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There is a sense of weary familiarity about the latest push by the Americans in Afghanistan. This is the first time President Obama has gone to battle using his own people and his own war-plans. His troops are up against the Taliban of Helmand province and it is all done with an eye to national elections in Afghanistan in August. To nobody's great surprise the first day of the operation which is called Khanjar (dagger in Dari and Pashtu but translated somewhat clumsily by the Marines as 'Strike of the Sword'), has yielded little. Almost 4,000 American troops and about 650 Afghan police and soldiers had by dusk on the first day taken the southern Khanishin district, entering the main town with no resistance. A US Marines spokesman, First Lieutenant Kurt Stahl said…"The helicopter insert has put all troops on the ground now in Garmser and Nawa," referring to districts that are key targets of the assault. "Half of the objectives have been secured by nightfall, ahead of schedule. Slight resistance has been met" he said. The 'slight resistance' has so far seen one marine killed and another reportedly captured. The Taliban for their part have said that they have 'thousands' of troops ready to fight the Americans and their Afghan allies, but if recent history is anything to go by, the Americans may find themselves chasing shadows across a dusty Helmand – as the Taliban rarely commit units larger than platoon-size and avoid conventional set-piece war-fighting.
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Labels: Afghanistan, Helmund Province, Taliban, War on Terror
posted @ 9:39 AM,
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