Taliban takes over two Afghanistan towns

[motivez]

Taliban insurgents entered Naway-i-Barakzayi, a Helmand town north of Garmser, and clashed briefly with police before the security officials fled, an Afghan police official said.

The official said Taliban forces were now moving freely around the town and district.

In the Helmand town of Garmser, close to the Pakistan border, scores of Taliban insurgents overran Afghan policemen holed up in a compound on Sunday, driving the security forces and a handful of government officials to flee, another Afghan official said.

Major Scott Lundy, a spokesman for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, said: "We are in contact with lots of people to build an accurate picture of the two districts in southern Helmand which are under control of the Taliban."

Casualties

On Monday, a bomber killed three justice ministry employees after blowing himself up inside their offices in Helmand.

Three Afghan soldiers also died in a roadside bombing in the province.

In eastern Afghanistan, US-led troops killed four Arab and Chechen fighters, after raiding their hideout.
Taliban forces killed a coalition soldier and wounded 11 others in a battle on Monday in Tirin Kot, capital of Helmand's neighbouring Uruzgan province, a US statement said.

And hundreds of Canadian and Afghan soldiers raided Taliban strongholds in orchards in southern Afghanistan, causing fighting that killed at least 15 insurgents and one Canadian soldier.

A coalition air raid killed another 10 insurgents in the neighbouring Panjwayi district.

In recent months, Afghanistan has been gripped by the worst violence since the US-led invasion toppled the Taliban government in late 2001.

About 10,000 US, Canadian, British and Afghan forces have been deployed across southern Afghanistan as part of Operation Mountain Thrust to loosen the Taliban's hold on the region.

More than 800 people, mostly insurgents, have been killed since May, according to an Associated Press tally of coalition and Afghan figures.

Obviously they're not going to keep the towns for very long, but isn't this indicitive that what we've done in Afghanistan is somewhat likely to "revert" to what it was when we leave? If the Security Officials are fleeing instead of fighting, what makes us think we're close to leaving Afghanistan, let alone Iraq?

By most accounts, we've done much better in Afghanistan than Iraq, but this sends a pretty disturbing message about the future of Iraq imo, and whet or not our due dilligence (staying the course) and a long period of time are really the answer here.

I think another thing this shows is that there is potentially no military solution. By all accounts we've bombed the shit out of Afghanistan and crushed the Taliban way more than we have the insurgency in Iraq, and yet, they still persist and have apparently regained enough strength to retake two towns..

[ballz2wallz]

i give the taliban no more than a few days to have 'control' of those towns.

[6SpeedTA95]

The news was saying this morning we're going in to get the towns back, so I fail to see how this is "reverting" back if within a few days time we're going to kick them out and hit them in the ass with the door on the way out.

[DosEquis]

I guess I would question the size of the towns they have taken and their importance. If it is a town of 200 people they could take it very easily. 20 guys with AK47's and RPG's could take a place like that.

While it is not good news, but I wouldn't mind figuring out exactly how bad the news is.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

The news was saying this morning we're going in to get the towns back, so I fail to see how this is "reverting" back if within a few days time we're going to kick them out and hit them in the ass with the door on the way out.

Well, mainly "reverting" because it wasn't too long ago that the Administration was touting the Taliban as being completely destroyed. That's obviously no longer the case, and they've been building up to this point.

They're becoming more bold in their attacks over there, and certainly this is the boldest move they've made yet.. but like I said, I think this indicitive of a much larger problem. There might not actually be a military solution, because if we haven't bombed them into submission yet, there might not actually be a way to do that.

It seems more like a battle of ideas and which has the most broad appeal to the people in the nations we're currently in control of.

[6SpeedTA95]

Originally Posted by motivez

Well, mainly "reverting" because it wasn't too long ago that the Administration was touting the Taliban as being completely destroyed. That's obviously no longer the case, and they've been building up to this point.

They're becoming more bold in their attacks over there, and certainly this is the boldest move they've made yet.. but like I said, I think this indicitive of a much larger problem. There might not actually be a military solution, because if we haven't bombed them into submission yet, there might not actually be a way to do that.

It seems more like a battle of ideas and which has the most broad appeal to the people in the nations we're currently in control of.

Maybe I miss that press release but I dont ever recall the admin saying the Taliban was completely distroyed I remember them saying they were cripled but not destroyed there's a big difference.

They are definately getting bolder with the attacks. We didn't leave enough of our forces in the region to support the local government and military. That was an obvious mistake but it looks like something we're going to rectify which is a good thing.

[Donkey®]

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

Maybe I miss that press release but I dont ever recall the admin saying the Taliban was completely distroyed I remember them saying they were cripled but not destroyed there's a big difference.

They are definately getting bolder with the attacks. We didn't leave enough of our forces in the region to support the local government and military. That was an obvious mistake but it looks like something we're going to rectify which is a good thing.

Guess if the job wasn't done, we shouldn't have left Afghanistan and moved into Iraq? Possibly? Maybe?

[6SpeedTA95]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

Guess if the job wasn't done, we shouldn't have left Afghanistan and moved into Iraq? Possibly? Maybe?

I never thought we should have left afgan like we did.