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The Taliban are now more active than they have been at any time since the US invasion. This is a very serious problem. The Afghan War is supported by this leftwing blog for a variety of reasons. First of all, though Afghanistan is now a US colony, apparently it wants to be one. 73% of Afghans support the Coalition presence in Afghanistan.
Before the US invasion, Afghanistan was a failed state run by Medieval terrorist lunatics called the Taliban who savagely abused the Afghan people and made the country a haven for Al Qaeda, who had many training camps there. It was from these training camps in their Taliban safe haven in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan that Al Qaeda planned the 9-11 attacks on the US.
There is no way that the US, or the civilized world in general, should allow Afghanistan to revert back to its primitive beastliness under Taliban and Al Qaeda fanatics.
Personally, I thought these Taliban and Al Qaeda barbarians should have been attacked even before, when the animals blew up the Bamiyan statues. At that point, I figured that Taliban Afghanistan had no right to exist. Hear that, Zionist sophists? No Right to Exist.
There are yet significant problems with NATO's mission in the south of Afghanistan. They were originally just supposed to be doing reconstruction, but they have been sucked into doing a lot of the fighting. NATO says it wants another 2,500 troops but I think that is really insufficient.
The Afghan government's poppy eradication program is also causing locals to support the Taliban. So is rising poverty in the south. Unfortunately, heavy fighting is putting a lot of reconstruction on hold, but only a tiny percentage of what was needed was ever set aside for Afghan reconstruction anyway. I do not have any solutions to this mess - I am sorry.
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Garmser, Helmand Province: 200 Afghan troops backed by 40 Danish, British and Estonian soldiers recaptured this town from the Taliban fundamentalist clowns who captured it earlier. There was heavy fighting for 2 hours in a battle to recapture the town. 20 Taliban were reportedly killed in the fighting.
Monday, September 11
Kabul, evening: There was a loud explosion here and the blast caused unknown casualties. This is a preliminary report.
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Khost, Khost Province: A suicide bomber killed himself and at least 6 Afghan policemen in an attack on the funeral for the governor of Paktia Province who was killed by a suicide bomber the previous day. 55 more people were wounded in the attack, but none of the several Afghan cabinet ministers present was hurt.
Governor Hakim Taniwal came from Khost although he was governor of neighboring Paktia. Taniwal became an Australian citizen when he came to Australia as an Afghan refugee. He later returned to his country to serve in the government.
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Sunday, September 10
Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Early: Another 94 Taliban were reportedly killed early in the morning and late Saturday night here. These were in addition to the 40 Taliban killed early on Saturday. 7 Taliban were captured trying to flee the battlefield.
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Qala-i-kah, Qala-i-kah District, Farah Province: Taliban forces in pickup trucks armed with AK-47's attacked the government compound in this town, burning two rooms in the compound, killing 2 policemen and charmingly burning down a health clinic. Such wonderful people, these Taliban fundamentalist idiots.
The media is reporting the name of this town as Kalaigar, but that is not its real name. The name is Kala-i-kah (map here) and it is located 42 miles west of Farah in Western Farah Province. Not much is known about this sparsely populated area, except that it is probably very dry.
The town is located in a region called Dasht-e-Barang. That phrase is apparently Persian. Dasht may mean "mine". Farah itself seems to be a Persian word. Certainly it is a common Persian female first name. This part of Afghanistan has major Persian influence.
This was the first known attack on Qala-i-kah. The ethnic composition of the region is not known, but Farah has a significant Pashtun population. There are also many Aimaqs here, especially in the West. Looking at the map, it appears that most of the Aimaqs in Farah are located to north of the town, in a region called Naomid Plain, where there are many lakes or dry lakes.
The Aimaqs in that region are called Timuri Aimaqs, a branch of the larger Char Aimaq group. The Timuri Aimaqs are a Sunni group that have traditionally been herders. Wealth is measured in livestock. In the summer, they roam with their herds and live in tents. In the winter, they live in more permanent mud-brick homes in their villages. They obtain meat, milk, fat and cheese from their animals.
There are 135,000 Timuri Aimaqs in Afghanistan. The women are traditional carpet weavers. During times of drought, the group gets its income from sale of carpets. Due to droughts in the 1950's and 1960's, most of the group has now taken up primitive farming, mostly of barley, grapes, wheat, rice, oats, melons and vegetables.
A handsome Timuri Aimaq man. Although this man does not, many Aimaqs seem to have prominent Asian features. Most Timuri Aimaqs reside in Iran but a minority reside in Afghanistan, especially Farah and Herat Provinces.*****
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Gardez, Paktia Province: In a major attack, a suicide bomber threw himself on the car of the provincial governor of Paktia Province outside the governor's home, killing the governor, Abdul Hakim Taniwal, and 2 other people outside his home. 3 others were wounded.
Interestingly, Paktia was a haven for the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the 1990's but earlier, during the 1970's and 1980's, many of the leaders of the Afghan Communists were also Pashtuns from Paktia. It is fascinating how a region can produce such extreme leftwingers and rightwingers in such large numbers. I suspect that Al Qaeda may have been involved in this attack as a 9-11 anniversary attack.
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Saturday, September 9
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Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Early: Operation Medusa continued here and NATO forces said that they killed 30-40 Taliban with airstrikes, artillery and mortars. One US soldier was killed in the fighting. Later reports gave his name as US Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael T. Fuga and said he was killed by small arms fire in a battle with the Taliban.
A top Taliban commander disputed the body count and said that NATO should show the dead bodies of the Taliban fighters it said were killed. Supposedly, over 300, (320) Taliban have been killed since the operation began. The Taliban disputed those numbers and said that they had lost only 10 fighters.
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Zabul Province, Late: A US soldier who was training Afghan troops was killed here. The soldier, Sgt. Nathaniel B. Lindsey, was killed at a fake checkpoint set up by the Taliban, who were posing as Afghan Army soldiers. A battle broke out, and Lindsey was killed by either a roadside bomb or an RPG that hit his Humvee. 4 Afghan troops were killed and 1 US soldier and 7 Afghan troops were wounded in the battle.
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Rahim Jan, North Waziristan, Pakistan: A tribal elder was killed here by the Pakistani Taliban for spying for US forces in Afghanistan. Pakistani President Musharaff signed an agreement with the Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday, September 5, in what looks to me like more or less a surrender by Pakistan. Pakistani forces will apparently vacate the region and leave it to the Pak Taliban.
This agreement does not look very good at all and I do not think it will even last. I assume that government forces and the Pak Taliban will begin fighting again soon. After the agreement was signed, Al Qaeda and Taliban flags were hoisted across North and South Waziristan.
Pakistani troops in Miran Shah, North Waziristan in an undated photo. Pakistani troops signed what is more or less a surrender agreement by the government of Pakistan that pretty much cedes control of both North and South Waziristan to Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban.
Al Qaeda CD's for sale in a shop in Miran Shah, North Waziristan earlier this year. Al Qaeda has now apparently run up its flag along with the Taliban's flag in this town, so it is de facto controlled by the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda.
A Pakistani border post north of Miran Shah, North Waziristan. Note the spartan nature of this outpost. The last proven sighting of Osama bin Laden was at a meeting in January 2003 across the border from this post in Khost Province, a longtime bin Laden hangout from the pre-9-11 era where he had notorious training camps.
A Pakistani border post 50 miles southwest of Miran Shah, North Waziristan. Note the remote, forbidding nature of this terrain. This post is probably actually in South Waziristan. The Afghan town of Shkin in Paktika Province is across the border. The US has a base there and it has come under very frequent attack. The US base in Shkin has one of the highest rates of US KIA in Afghanistan.
A Pakistani border outpost in the Shawal Region. The Shawal in North Waziristan is some of the most forbidding terrain in this part of the border. It has been run by Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban for a long time now. The Pakistani government presence is meager. The Shawal is about 1/2 way between North and South Waziristan, west of Razmak.On the other side is Paktika Province. Many Al Qaeda leaders have long been thought to have been hiding in this region. Bin Laden was reportedly seen in Paktika Province later in 2003, after the last proven sighting in Khost in January. He was reportedly spotted at several locations in Paktika as he moved through the province. It's not really known where he went after moving through Paktika, but one report said he moved through the Khand Pass west of Wana in Summer or Fall of 2003. If he was in Paktika, he was probably in the portion across from the Shawal at least part of the time.
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Friday, September 8
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Kabul: A Taliban suicide car bomber attacked a US convoy near the US Embassy in downtown Kabul, killing the bomber, 2 US soldiers and 17 others, including possibly up to 5 foreign mercenaries. 31 people were wounded in the blast, including 2 US troops. US Army Staff Sgt. Robert Paul and Army Sgt. Merideth Howard were killed in the attack.
Many of the dead were poor street sweepers clearing the road for a celebration in honor of Shah Massoud, head of the Northern Alliance, who was killed by Al Qaeda 2 days before the 9-11 attack on the USA. Massoud is a hero among the Tajiks of Afghanistan.
An Afghan woman walks by the aftermath of the suicide car bomb on a US convoy in Kabul. Kabul is one of the most heavily-guarded cities in Afghanistan, yet this bomber got through anyway. The advent of regular, Iraq-style suicide, and suicide car bomb attacks here is a particularly ominous development of war in Afghanistan, which has taken a serious turn for the worst this year.
A completely destroyed US Humvee is hoisted onto a truck to be hauled away after a brazen suicide car bomb attack on a US convoy a mere 100 yards from the US Embassy in Kabul. 2 US troops were killed in this attack. It is possible that the dead soldiers may have been in this Humvee.*****
Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province: NATO forces said they killed another 21 Taliban in Operation Medusa in the NATO forces say they have a large number of Taliban, up to 700 of them, surrounded in this region.
Farah, Farah Province: Roadside bomb attack on Italian troops here wounded 4 Italian soldiers, 1 seriously. Farah is becoming increasingly dangerous as Taliban forces move north into Farah from Helmand to the south, where there is very heavy fighting. On the other hand, Farah also has a large Pashtun population.
Thursday, September 7
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Garmser District, Helmand Province: The Taliban have reportedly taken over this district. They overran the capital, Garmser, a town of 50,000 along the Helmand River, and the government has had to move to another town. The Taliban say that they have overrun the town of Garmser and hoisted their flag there.
The Taliban have been traveling around the Garmser District burning down and closing girls schools and even destroying and closing boys schools. They have also threatened and killed teachers.
Brave teachers in Garmser in the Helmand District. Although these guys look like Taliban maniacs, they are actually doing a great thing in teaching boys in this region. It would be nice if more girls were being taught here, but first things first. Baby steps.The population here believes that women should not go to the hospital ever because a man other than their husband will see them (that being the doctor).
Obviously, such insane traditions are not good for women's health. The population here is also significantly opposed to education for girls, but that may be changing somewhat. The Taliban fundamentalist cretins hate education, like all fascists. When they were fighting to take over the country, they always chose to send the most uneducated fighters to the front lines.
Locals meet an aid agency in the Garmser district of Helmand. Aid programs here must be set up very carefully to avoid inflaming the profoundly conservative local culture. The Taliban has deep support in this Pashtun region. By the way, see any women at this community meeting?*****
Arghandab District, Zabul Province: The Taliban have also taken over this district by overrunning the district capital here also and hoisting their flag. Zabul has been one of the most backwards provinces in all Afghanistan since the US invasion. Very few or no girls were in school here as of a year or two ago.
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NATO's top commander of operations admitted that the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan has been more difficult than they had thought. He asked for other nations to send modest reinforcements. In Canada, the opposition NDP is advocating a withdrawl of all Canadian troops from Afghanistan.I think it is really imperative to increase spending on aid for Afghanistan, in particular food aid, since so many Afghans are basically starving.
Of course, the US reactionary free market fundamentalist ideologues do not believe that any government should provide any aid to anyone for any reason, so that leaves it up to the Europeans, who, being socialists, should at least have no moral objections to such sane behaviors. Clearly, this war will not be won by bullets alone.
Aid and culturally sensitive education programs that gently try to show villagers the benefits of such normal human behaviors as letting your wife go to the hospital or letting your daughter go to school would also be helpful, keeping in mind the profoundly conservative nature of much of Afghan society. Aid and reconstruction for Afghanistan is far below what is needed.
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Wednesday, September 6
Helmand Province, 8 AM: Taliban guerrillas attacked British troops here, killing 1 and wounding 4 more,1 seriously.
Kajaki, Kajaki District, Helmand Province, 12:20 PM: A British soldier, Corporal Mark William Wright, was killed and 6 more were wounded, 5 seriously, when they walked into a minefield here. Andy Barlow was one of the badly wounded soldiers. The troops were moving up a hill to search for a suspected Taliban position when they walked into an old minefield left over from the Soviet War.
Yacoubi, Khost Province: A suicide bomber on foot attacked a vehicle here, killing 2 passengers in addition to the bomber and wounding the driver. The motive was unknown and the bomber may have confused the vehicle for someone else. Khost was headquarters for some of Osama bin Laden's most notorious training camps in the 1990's.
Helmand Province: A British soldier who was critically wounded in an attack here on Friday, September 1, died of his wounds.
Helmand Province: Taliban forces attacked British troops here, wounding 2 of them, 1 very seriously and 1 seriously.
Korengal, Kunar Province: US soldiers made camp at a new base here and unleashed an artillery barrage on guerrillas in the forested mountains surrounding the base in this very dangerous area, which is probably where Ayman Al Zawahiri is hiding. US forces here are batting the Korengali tribe, who has thrown in their lot with Al Qaeda and Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami.
Tuesday, September 5
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: A US servicewoman, Maj. Jill M. Metzger, went missing here. She was found 3 days later in Bishkek and reported that she had been kidnapped. The kidnappers have not been found and a motive is not known.
Kandahar Province, AM: Dutch troops were attacked again at the Martello base they have temporarily taken over (see 9-4 report). This was a minor attack and there were no Dutch casualties.
Monday, September 4
Kandahar Province, Late: Dutch troops temporarily manning the Canadian Martello base here while the Canadians are occupied in Operation Medusa in the Panjwayi District were attacked by 100 Taliban armed with mortars and automatic weapons. There were no Dutch casualties. 10 Taliban were killed.
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Thursday, August 31
Kabul, 3:30 AM: Guerrillas launched 2 rockets at Kabul from east of the city. The rockets did not cause any damage or casualties.
Now Zad, Helmand Province, 8 AM: A large force of Taliban attacked this town with heavy machine guns and RPG's. There was intense fighting between government troops and Taliban here. NATO forces launched air strikes to drive the Taliban back and 2 Taliban were killed. Now Zad is in the northern part of Helmand, 57 miles north of the district capital of Lashkar Gah.
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