# Taliban seize town of Musa Qala; residents fear NATO reaction is imminent



## tomahawk6 (1 Feb 2007)

General Mc Neil seems ready to send US troops into Musa Qala a town the Brits abandoned in November.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-2577321,00.html



> About 30 paratroops from 16 Air Assault Brigade Regiment were ordered to withdraw from Musa Qala in November as part of a deal with tribal elders and the governor of Helmand. The American military were said to be “absolutely furious” at what they saw as a pullout by their principal partners, complaining that it left Musa Qala under Taleban control.


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## tomahawk6 (2 Feb 2007)

The Taliban have now taken control of the town. 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2428038,00.html


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## midget-boyd91 (2 Feb 2007)

Just read this off CNN, and thought some here would like to have a read also. The town of Musa Qala that the Taliban have 'overrun' is the same villiage that a type of local peace agreement between forces and militants was agreed to earlier in the fall after the British encountered heavy fighting.



> KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban militants overran a southern Afghan town where a peace agreement had been negotiated last fall, roaming through the town center, burning its government compound and threatening elders, officials and a resident said Friday.
> 
> A resident of Musa Qala said 200-300 Taliban fighters had seized the town, taken weapons from the police and destroyed the government center late Thursday.
> 
> ...



100


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## zipperhead_cop (2 Feb 2007)

Be careful what you wish for, I guess.  Too bad they couldn't have set up an ambush and taken out a big number of bad guys.


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## Colin Parkinson (2 Feb 2007)

Clearly the Taliban were only trying to prevent a upswing of violence by peacefully disarming the police and terrorizing the local government. Of course the NDP & the guardian in England will use this as proof that NATO can’t be trusted to uphold it’s side of a truce. Perhaps if we trade billions of dollars to the Taliban for carbon credits everything will become peaceful again…Kumbya my lord, kumbya, now everybody sing with me….


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## zipperhead_cop (2 Feb 2007)

I'm sensing a vague undercurrant of sarcasm.  Are you trying to imply something?   ^-^


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## Mike Baker (2 Feb 2007)

> By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer
> 57 minutes ago
> 
> 
> ...


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070202/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan


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## GAP (3 Feb 2007)

Were the British too early with this plan, or, as many have stated, you are never going to be able to realistically deal with the Taliban?

Taliban overrun town as peace deal fails
Declan Walsh in Islamabad Saturday February 3, 2007 The Guardian 
Article Link

· Locals flee after militants disarm new police force 
· Offensive happens two days before Nato handover 

British strategy in Afghanistan suffered a blow when the Taliban overran a town in northern Helmand where a controversial peace deal had been signed.
Hundreds of insurgents stormed into Musa Qala on Thursday night, disarming the local police, burning government buildings and threatening elders, officials and residents said.

The Taliban offensive appeared to catch troops off guard just two days before Britain hands control of Nato forces in Afghanistan to an American, General Dan McNeill. "The Taliban entered the town last night. The current situation is unclear," said Mark Laity, a Nato spokesman in Kabul.

British commanders always insisted that the Musa Qala deal, which was brokered between the provincial governor and local elders last September, was risky. After a summer of fighting that claimed several British fatalities, British forces and the Taliban agreed to withdraw from the town centre. In return, elders said they would guarantee security through a locally recruited tribal police force.
More on link


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## karl28 (3 Feb 2007)

I am by no means an expert on this but it seems the Taliban have no respect for any kind of peaceful deals .  I say let them have it hunt them down and make them pay for it .   Like I said I am not an expert and this is just my two cents worth .


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## a_majoor (3 Feb 2007)

Certainly something like this was worth trying on a "trial" basis; the potential upside was to really give the local elders a clear boost in legitimacy ("see, we can get those Taliban and Crusaders to leave us alone") as a means of insulating the population from the Taliban and other ACM's.

However, there is another upside to this; anyone who wants to do "talks" with the Taliban needs to explain how this is going to work given the events that have just unfolded.


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## GAP (3 Feb 2007)

Afghan town's residents fear clash is imminent
Updated Sat. Feb. 3 2007 8:10 PM ET Associated Press
Article Link

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Hundreds of villagers fled a southern Afghan town overrun by Taliban militants, fearful of a NATO attack on the insurgent fighters who have hoisted their white flag over the town's ransacked government centre, residents said.

NATO's outgoing commander, Gen. David Richards, said "very surgical and deliberate'' force would be used if needed to solve the crisis in the town Musa Qala and Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said: "If there is a need for an operation, there will be one.''

Col. Tom Collins, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said Saturday that NATO was watching the situation but no forces were in Musa Qala. NATO troops pulled out of the town in October after the government and village elders signed a peace agreement.

"It is only a matter of time before (the) government re-establishes control,'' Collins said.

However, he said NATO had reports Taliban militants had reinforced their defensive positions.

Abdul Baqi, a villager who fled Musa Qala with five family members Saturday, said residents fear a bloody clash is imminent after the Taliban fighters swarmed the town Wednesday and Thursday, temporarily taking village elders hostage.

"I'm going to stay with my relatives and will return only if the situation gets better,'' Baqi said while sitting in his pickup truck in the nearby district Gereshk.

Resident Mohammad Wali said Taliban fighters hoisted a white flag over the damaged government compound and villager Lal Mohammad said hundreds of residents fled.

British troops fought intense battles with Taliban fighters in Musa Qala in the second half of last year. The clashes caused widespread damage to the surrounding town of about 10,000 inhabitants, most of whom were forced to flee.
More on link


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## zipperhead_cop (4 Feb 2007)

What is the idea behind the white flag?  That couldn't possibly be the (unfortunate) flag of the Taliban, is it? 
And how did they get the rights to use it away from the French?   ;D


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## Kirkhill (4 Feb 2007)

T6 - Dammitall,  :-\ :-[

Good news.  There are now 300 dug in targets.  That's 300 they dont have to worry about finding.  Too bad about the reconstruction costs.


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## tomahawk6 (4 Feb 2007)

Looks like villagers are leaving the AO. If they cant force enough people to stay it will be a free fire zone. ;D


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## tomahawk6 (4 Feb 2007)

Airstrike kills top taliban commander.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070204/taliban_killed_070204/20070204?hub=TopStories



> NATO has not released the name of the Taliban leader killed in the strike, but Mohammed Wali, a resident of Musa Qala, said the strike killed Mullah Abdul Gafoor and some of his associates while they were riding in a truck through a small village near Musa Qala.


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## Armymedic (4 Feb 2007)

I think they took a good opportunity to take back some ground. It wont be long before NATO pushes north again. No doubt the fighters will melt away as soon as tracks are heard on the road.


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## TangoTwoBravo (5 Feb 2007)

The Taliban did fly the white flag during my time there.  You could see it on their graves as well as in towns that they controlled.  I have no idea of the meaning of the colour, but it did not mean "surrender" in any way. 

Towards the end of a firefight in Helmand, I watched a man climb onto his roof and remove the white flag that had been flying in the corner of his compound (not the best thing to do when bullets are flying).  The battle had swept past his compound, but there had been no firing from within. Perhaps he had flown it to avoid harassment.   Some folks go the way the wind blows I guess, and I can't say that I always blame them.

Cheers


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## bilton090 (6 Feb 2007)

The taliban don't do peace talks, they do not what peace, they what to kill !. These people have to F-ing get there heads out of the sand,
maybe we should send them over there to talk peace with the taliban,  ;D . The taliban did peace talks to recoup, and kill somemore  >

  P.S - Flying out this afternoon, be in the KAF in 22hrs,  :warstory:,


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## 043 (6 Feb 2007)

bilton090 said:
			
		

> The taliban don't do peace talks, they do not what peace, they what to kill !. These people have to F-ing get there heads out of the sand,
> maybe we should send them over there to talk peace with the taliban,  ;D . The taliban did peace talks to recoup, and kill somemore  >
> 
> P.S - Flying out this afternoon, be in the KAF in 22hrs,  :warstory:,



Good luck to you! Chimo!!!!!


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## McG (7 Feb 2007)

Looks like Hellmand may again see the might of Canadian mechanized infantry & 25 mm:


> Fight brewing to retake Afghan town from Taliban
> Updated Mon. Feb. 5 2007 11:17 PM ET
> 
> CTV.ca News Staff
> ...


More on the CTV site: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070205/musa_qala_070205/20070205?hub=SEAfghanistan


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## midget-boyd91 (7 Dec 2007)

The next chapter in the story of Musa Qala

_http://www.nato.int/isaf/docu/pressreleases/2007/12-december/pr071207-728.html_



> ANA, ISAF launch operation in Musa Qala
> KABUL, Afghanistan – Troops from the Afghan National Army supported by ISAF Forces have been conducting operations in the north of Helmand since the beginning of November.
> An operation to retake the town of Musa Qala has started today, Dec. 7. In order to assist the Afghan National Army, ISAF Forces have launched an insertion of troops by helicopter on the edge of the town. This operation will continue for the next few days.
> 
> More information will be given as it becomes available.



Good luck, and stay safe.


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## The Bread Guy (7 Dec 2007)

A bit more from the UK MoD - good luck, all!

*Afghan National Army and ISAF launch operation near Musa Qaleh*
Statement link



> NATO has confirmed that an operation to retake the town of Musa Qaleh in Helmand province has begun today, 7 December 2007.  Troops from the Afghan National Army, supported by ISAF Forces have been conducting operations in the north of Helmand since the beginning of November.  In order to assist the Afghan National Army, ISAF Forces have now launched an insertion of troops by helicopter on the edge of the town.  This operation is expected to continue for the next few days.


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

More from Allison Lampert of Montreal Gazette with AFP info  - via Global National and The Fourth Rail.



> Afghan and NATO troops storm Taliban stronghold
> Allison Lampert, Montreal Gazette with files from AFP
> KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- The Afghan National Army, supported by international coalition forces, launched an operation Friday to recapture Musa Qaleh, a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
> 
> Wing Cmdr. Antony McCord, a NATO spokesperson, said coalition forces, including British, Danish and Estonian troops, were taken by helicopter to the edge of the town. “This operation will continue for the next few days,” he told journalists at Kandahar Airfield.



More on link...


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## The Bread Guy (8 Dec 2007)

Just found this "back and forth" chronology - shared with the usual disclaimer....

*A chronology of the Musa Qala dilemma*
The Long War Journal, 3 Dec 07
Article link - permalink (.pdf)



> (....)
> 
> Chronology of events in Musa Qala:
> 
> ...


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## KevinB (8 Dec 2007)

Not to be nit picky at journalists -- but that 5-6 Dec comment "after their patrol engaged" an IED  :


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

From today's Western Morning News  - shared in its entirety
Report by Peter Harrison



> (Royal) MARINES TAKE ON TALIBAN
> 
> 11:00 - 08 December 2007
> 
> ...


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## TN2IC (8 Dec 2007)

Infidel-6 said:
			
		

> Not to be nit picky at journalists -- but that 5-6 Dec comment "after their patrol engaged" an IED  :



He he he...

"Charlie team... take out the trenc... .err.... IED!"  :rofl:


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## GAP (8 Dec 2007)

From the few newsclips/combat camera footage and from articles as the one above, I am puzzled. Do we really call it a victory when we come in contact within a couple of hundred yards, pop of rounds, destroy a compound, but not go in and clear the area totally? 

Either there is a lot missed in the reporting/camera editing, or this is pure bullsh*t.


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

Or else they are still trying to figure out who is where and how many they have got.


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

More on the Musa Qala actions from the Daily Telegraph:

*Thousands of UK troops in Afghan assault*

By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent and Tom Coghlan in Kabul
Last Updated: 11:56pm GMT 08/12/2007

British troops have been involved in a major offensive in southern Afghanistan to recapture the Taliban's most heavily defended and strategically important stronghold.

The operation on Saturday night, using thousands of soldiers and described as the biggest ever undertaken by British troops in Afghanistan, has so far left two Britons dead and several wounded.
   
British forces conducted probing attacks against the Taliban positions to gather intelligence on the insurgent forces

Attack helicopters and combat jets have spent the past few days pummelling Taliban defensive positions surrounding Musa Qala in preparation for the final assault on the last remaining major town held by enemy insurgents in Helmand.

Early on Saturday, coalition forces, which include the British Army's 52 Brigade, the Afghan National Army and America's Task Force Fury, successfully surrounded the Taliban stronghold, where insurgent commanders claim up to 2,000 of their fighters are based.

The Taliban responded with a series of small-scale but bitter exchanges with the coalition forces which resulted in a number of British and Afghan army casualties. A member of the 2nd Bn Yorkshire Regiment died, said the Ministry of Defence, declining to name the soldier.

The latest phase of the operation began at dusk on Friday when hundreds of airborne troops from Task Force Fury launched an assault by helicopter on an area north of the town, a complex of high-walled compounds and narrow, dusty alleyways which armoured vehicles find difficult to penetrate.

Taliban commanders said that many of their 2,000 fighters - a figure the British dispute - were prepared to fight to the death while others would launch suicide bombing attacks against advancing coalition troops....

More on linked Headline.


Also:

*A deadly Afghan battle like none other*
By Sean Rayment and Tom Coghlan in Kabul
Last Updated: 1:11am GMT 09/12/2007

Operation Mar Kardad (or "Snakebite") was secretly launched early on November 2 - well before dawn.

A small British force set off northward from their base in Sangin along Route 611, the dirt track that forms the main highway to Musa Qala, the Taliban's last remaining stronghold in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan.

Troops on foot and in armoured vehicles were ordered to probe the Taliban's defences on the outskirts of the town to discover where they were strongest and weakest - vital intelligence for the battle ahead.

The Taliban knew the British would one day attack. Only the date was uncertain. But after a senior Taliban commander defected to President Hamid Karzai's government, Nato chiefs decided the time had come to strike.

This weekend, their forces are engaged in a battle like none other since British troops entered Helmand in April last year.

More British forces are being used in this action than in any other battle in Afghanistan: anything up to 3,000 of the total force of 7,000 in the country, although commanders refused to be specific. .....

More on linked Headline

And:

*Loss of mountain stronghold will hurt Taliban*
By Sean Rayment 
Last Updated: 1:11am GMT 09/12/2007

Analysis: The hub of their narcotics trade will fall, but this is not the end of the insurgents, writes Sean Rayment

The town of Musa Qala, which sits high in the north of Helmand, has strategic and symbolic value for both the British forces and the Taliban.

Last year it was occupied by British troops for more than three months, until resupplying problems caused them to withdraw.....

More on linked Headline


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## tomahawk6 (8 Dec 2007)

If the General Richards hadnt given up this strategic town over a year ago this op wouldnt be necessary.


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

He did and it is.


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

From The Sunday Times December 9, 2007

*Terror on road to Taliban stronghold  * 

Stephen Grey in Musa Qala, Helmand 

First there was a loud bang; then we were enveloped in dust that descended like a shroud. “Mortars!” someone shouted. 

In a panic, we scrambled for the relative shelter of our vehicle on a hill opposite Musa Qala, a Taliban stronghold under siege this weekend by Nato and Afghan forces, and dived inside. 

Sand thrown up by the explosion swirled through the hatches and we reached for our helmets, keeping low in case of incoming fire. 

Only when the dust had settled was the horror revealed: the blast had been caused not by a mortar, but by a mine that had been detonated when a British vehicle passed over it. One of the men with whom we were travelling was killed and two others wounded. The dead man’s next of kin were informed last night.....

T6 - This isn't the first piece of ground to be paid for twice.


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## tomahawk6 (8 Dec 2007)

I have to confess I am not a big fan of the way MOD has managed their AO in Iraq and with Richards in Afghanistan I saw a repeat performance. I hope that McNeil's replacement isnt another UK General. I am well aware this op is necessary.


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## Kirkhill (8 Dec 2007)

From The Guardian

*Fierce battle rages for Taliban stronghold*


Royal Marines are among 6,000 troops fighting to seize a fiercely defended rebel headquarters that is key to the drug trade 

Mark Townsend
Sunday December 9, 2007
The Observer 


More than 6,000 troops were engaged in intense fighting last night as British and American forces led a major offensive to seize the largest Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan.
In what military commanders described as a defining battle for the stability of Helmand province, around 4,500 Nato soldiers and Afghan National Army troops launched a series of attacks against a 2,000-strong Taliban force entrenched in the town of Musa Qala. Fighting was expected to last for days.......


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## tomahawk6 (8 Dec 2007)

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/SoldierServingWith2ndBattalionTheYorkshireRegimentKilledInAfghanistan.htm

Soldier serving with 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment killed in Afghanistan
8 Dec 07

It is with deep regret that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that a soldier serving with 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment has been killed today, Saturday 8th December.

The soldier died during operations in southern Afghanistan.

The soldier's next of kin have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released.


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## tomahawk6 (9 Dec 2007)

I see the Danes have a Leo2 platoon attached to the British force. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=SGHHVWYB2HMNHQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2007/12/09/wafg909.xml



> "Right now it is going according to plan," said Nato commander General Dan McNeill. "As to how tough the fighting will or will not be, that is up to the insurgents. If the insurgent wants to fight then the Afghan forces going into Musa Qala will be up to the task."
> 
> British and American forces are to perform the "break in" operation to Musa Qala, but the final assault will be left to the Afghan Army.
> 
> ...


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## Kirkhill (10 Dec 2007)

*Taliban flee as troops retake Musa Qala*
By Tom Coghlan in Kabul
Last Updated: 2:17pm GMT 10/12/2007

Article Link

Afghan and British forces occupy the centre of Musa Qala this afternoon, according to reports which indicate the Taliban have withdrawn from the town.

PM visits troops as forces enter Musa Qala
Soldier killed after cancelling leave to fight the Taliban
Brown flies to Iraq and hints at British withdrawal soon
"Our forces are inside the town and the clean-up operation is ongoing," said General Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry. 

More on link....


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## Kirkhill (10 Dec 2007)

And proof it all must be over at Musa Qala....

*Brown visits troops as forces enter Musa Qala*
By James Kirkup in Kabul
Last Updated: 2:37pm GMT 10/12/2007

Article Link

Gordon Brown flew into Afghanistan today as British troops and Afghan forces recaptured the Taliban's last major urban stronghold.

About 3,000 British soldiers, led by the Special Boat Service, supported an Afghan National Army attack on Musa Qala. 
  
Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a defence ministry spokesman, said Afghan, British and US forces had "completely captured" the town in Helmand Province, after its defenders fled. However, he added that fighting was continuing around the town. 

A spokesman for the NATO-led force, Major Charles Anthony, said: "The ANA (Afghan National Army) have entered the district centre. They are in the centre of the town." 

As the assault took place, Mr Brown flew to Camp Bastion - a UK base about 50 miles away - to greet British troops. 

More on link....


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## Colin Parkinson (10 Dec 2007)

According the Globe and Mail it's already becoming a Quagmire  :

Canadians open new front against Taliban

Push into insurgents' territory part of a flurry of NATO activity in southern Afghanistan as winter starts to impede enemy's movement


By GRAEME SMITH  


Monday, December 10, 2007 – Print Edition, Page A19


KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- A Canadian-led offensive opened a new front against the Taliban in Kandahar this weekend, adding pressure on the insurgents as they also faced a major attack from NATO and Afghan forces in neighbouring Helmand.

Canadian soldiers and their allies advanced on foot into the fields around Zangabad, a village about 40 kilometres southwest of Kandahar city, at daybreak on Saturday. An Afghan military statement later said 10 insurgents were killed in the attack, but a Canadian commander said the number was higher, without giving details.

Under the name Operation Sure Thing, the offensive marked the first time Canada's battle group has fought alongside the famed Gurkhas, soldiers of Nepalese origins who have fought under British command since the 1800s. Afghan soldiers also joined the fight.

The Canadians made their push into Taliban territory at the same time as British and U.S. forces continue to lead an effort to recapture Musa Qala, a town in northern Helmand province that the insurgents had used as a model for their alternative system of government.

*NATO officials had initially predicted a swift victory in Musa Qala, but after the death of two NATO soldiers over the weekend, the battle appeared to lose momentum. Brigadier-General Gul Aga Naebi, commander of the Afghan Army's 205th Corps, said 12 insurgents were killed on Saturday in Musa Qala, but none yesterday.*
"We have surrounded Musa Qala town, but we haven't entered it yet," Brig.-Gen. Naebi said.

The fighting around Musa Qala was dwarfed by the battle in Kandahar, said Major Richard Moffet, Canada's acting battle group commander.

"Compared to what happened in Musa Qala? Musa Qala is nothing," Major Moffet said.

Embedded photojournalist Louie Palu, travelling with the Canadian troops, saw smoke rising from artillery and air strikes that continued through Saturday, and Canadian soldiers kicking down doors of mud-walled homes. 

He also witnessed a Canadian medic and soldier helping a Taliban fighter who was gunned down by Afghan forces, then carrying their wounded enemy 1,400 metres over rough terrain for medical evacuation.

The immediate goal of the Canadian offensive was to halt the persistent Taliban attacks on a newly established police station in Panjwai district, Major Moffet said, declaring the action a success.

The flurry of NATO activity in southern Afghanistan also comes as winter starts to impede the movement of insurgents. They're no longer comfortable sleeping outside and snows block the mountain routes to Pakistan.

In Kandahar, the Taliban territory now being targeted by Canadian forces is familiar ground, having already been captured in Operation Baaz Tsuka during the same cold season last year and later lost to the insurgents in the spring-time. 

In Helmand, too, the fighting focuses on a town that British troops abandoned last year under pressure from the Taliban.

An air strike in the Nowzad district of Helmand province this weekend killed 12 civilians and left a boy as the sole surviving member of the family, said Abdul Satar Mazahari, head of the refugee department in Helmand province. 

The British military reportedly described those killed in the strike as insurgents.


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## Kirkhill (10 Dec 2007)

More on the Yorkshire man killed...

*Soldier killed in assault 'stayed to fight' Taliban*
By Katie Franklin and agencies
Last Updated: 10:22am GMT 10/12/2007

Article Link

The British soldier killed during an assault on a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan was meant to be on leave at the time, his fiancée has revealed. 

Sergeant Lee Johnson, 33, of 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was killed when an explosive device blew up beside his vehicle near Musa Qala in Helmand province. 

Another soldier was seriously injured in the blast, which was suspected to have been caused by a mine. 

Sgt Johnson's commanding officer paid tribute to the soldier, describing him as a "gem". 

"A huge personality and a supreme soldier, he had a zest for life that took all before him," said Lieutenant Colonel Simon Downey. .....

More on Link



> According the Globe and Mail it's already becoming a Quagmire


  Somebody's not "truthin'" Colin.


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## Kirkhill (10 Dec 2007)

The Times seems to be more of a mind with the Telegraph than the G&M
And the concluding paragraphs are relevant to the discussion about the role of the 3Ds in winning Afghanistan

From Times Online
December 10, 2007

*Gordon Brown visits Afghanistan as Taleban stronghold falls  *
Sam Coates at Camp Bastion and Nick Meo in Lashkar Gahi

Article Link   

Gordon Brown paid a surprise pre-Christmas visit to British troops in Afghanistan's Helmand province today as the operation to retake the opium-trading bazaar town of Musa Qala reached its climax. 

The Prime Minister arrived shortly after 7am at Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmland around 60 miles from Musa Qala - the frontline where approximately 3,000 British troops were today close to capturing the only sizeable town controlled by Taleban insurgents, and where Afghan troops made a reported breakthrough this morning. 
.....

"I want to give President Karzai my assurance that our support will continue over these next few years to make it possible not only for the security of the Afghan people but also the economic and social development of your country so that people can have a stake in the future." 

The Prime Minister said that he would announce further details of Britain’s support for Afghanistan in a statement to the House of Commons, following his return to the UK. 

Discussing the operation in Musa Qala, Mr Brown pledged: "When action is finally achieved against the Taleban and they are excluded from this area, we will be ready to support the economic and social development of the communities with projects and support for the local government in the area. 

"That will be something we hope to be able to start immediately the success of this operation is achieved."



More on link


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## zipperhead_cop (10 Dec 2007)

> Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Taliban, confirmed the group's forces had left but added the decision to depart was made to protect civilians in the town after Nato bombing raids.



How very thoughtful of them.  "We'll cut it short now, because we don't want NATO killing innocents.  Killing innocents is our job, and they have no right"  : 
Printing quotes from the Taliban is like reading your local newspaper letters to the edittor.  Generally useless and void of fact.  

But did RAIN actually allow these clods to slip through the cordon?  Surely 2485 soldiers leaving an area would draw some sort of attention?


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## Kirkhill (10 Dec 2007)

Really good question ZC but some of the numbers of Taliban were as low as 300 in a town of something like 15-20,000.   Also, I can't help but wonder if part of the effort was a smoke-screen to allow the two HVTs that were reported captured the opportunity to defect.  

Some of the reports allude to indications that there was some hope of defections from the Taliban and that was part of the reason for mounting the operation now.


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## zipperhead_cop (10 Dec 2007)

Roj.  That makes more sense than "It was rainin' real hard"


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## tomahawk6 (22 Dec 2007)

11 tons of opium have been seized in Musa Qala. That will put a crimp in Taliban finances.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/12/exclusive-11-to.html


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## a_majoor (23 Dec 2007)

Colin P said:
			
		

> According the Globe and Mail it's already becoming a Quagmire  :



Strange sort of quagmire where we go farther and farther and operate in more and more districts. At this rate we might be able to have a province wide quagmire by the end of 2009.......


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## Kirkhill (26 Dec 2007)

Coghlan and the Telegraph



> No peace for Marines on Christmas patrol
> Tom Coghlan in Helmand
> Last Updated: 1:51am GMT 26/12/2007
> 
> ...




A 2-week subby and "corporal" (apologies to the Gunner Bombardiers out there)


And from the Independent:



> *Santa hats and sniper fire: Christmas in Afghanistan is (almost) just another day *
> By Jerome Starkey in Kajaki, Afghanistan
> Published: 26 December 2007
> 
> ...



Meanwhile off duty (Courtesy BBC):



> *Hirsute marines compete for glory   *
> By Caroline Wyatt
> Defence correspondent, BBC News
> 
> ...


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