Jul 28 2008
Terrorist Attempt To Invade Afghanistan, Are Decimated
Terrorists massing in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan have pledged Jihad against American and Allied forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere (including Pakistan). Personally I see this as completely suicidal on their part – especially after we see another example of the results:
Khost’s governor said 50 to 70 fighters had been killed – Nato said the number was in double figures. There is no independent verification.
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Both Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and the Afghan government said about 100 insurgents had amassed in the district close to the border with Pakistan in the early hours of the morning and appeared to be trying to take over the town centre.
An Isaf statement said helicopter gunships were brought in and the militants surrounded.
It described how some fighters took cover in a nearby building which was then struck by missiles. The fighting from the air and on the ground went on for some hours.
The governor added that many fighters had fled into local villages and air strikes were then stopped to prevent civilian casualties.
Clearly not a smashing success for the terrorists. More here at The Long War Journal.
As far as I recall, it cost 12 Allied lives to take control of Afghanistan by December, 2001 and hand power to the new government. It was done mostly from the air, with the Northern Alliance doing most of the ground fighting.
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It’s been nearly 7 years since the Taliban government was removed, but the way things are going, the Allies could lose 12 military people in a DAY if many more fighters/terrorists cross into Afghanistan from Pakistan.
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The big problem here for the Allies, is that the Pashtun people – who live on each side of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have never been beaten (in the long term) for 2,000 years, so if these new terrorists are a part of that Pashtun culture, who are born to fight – and not just indoctrinated Pakistanis, it could be tougher than any other geurilla warfare that many currently serving soldiers have experienced.
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DO we have any sort of concise update on the whole saga?