- Reaction score
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National Post
http://www.nationalpost.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=174255
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- The dawn raid of a Taliban compound southwest of Kandahar City was heralded as a major success for the Canadian Forces after 41 Taliban fighters were killed and four others captured.
The NATO coalition of Canadian soldiers, Afghan National Army troops and soldiers with the British army's Royal Gurkha Regiment surprised sleeping insurgents as the early-morning call to prayer from the mosque at Siah Choy rang out over the cluster of farming villages with mud-walled compounds. The Taliban fled into an open space where they were bombed by NATO aircraft.
"All the strikes that happened were in open terrain," Major Richard Moffet, deputy commanding officer of the Canadian battle group, told reporters yesterday. "We kick them out, we follow them and we strike them."
The Sunday battle, dubbed Operation Sharp Sword, was designed to disrupt insurgent activities, such as planting improvised explosive devices -- or roadside bombs -- and ambushes on key roads travelled by military convoys in the volatile Zhari and Panjwaii districts of Kandahar province.
When the fighting was over, coalition forces walked away without a single casualty, Maj. Moffet said. A large Taliban weapons cache, including small arms, was also uncovered.
NATO has been fighting for control of the densely populated region, favoured by the Taliban because of their ability to blend into the background, since the summer of 2006.
Canadian soldiers claimed victory about a year ago in another military offensive that hemmed insurgents into a nearby area, about 40 kilo-metres southwest of Kandahar City.
This time around, Maj. Moffet praised the Gurkhas, a decorated regiment of Nepalese soldiers that worked closely with Afghan soldiers, for bearing the "brunt of the battle."
Three Gurkha soldiers described the insurgents' initial surprise at seeing them on Sunday.
"They knew we weren't Afghan soldiers, or Canadian soldiers; they couldn't figure out who we were," one said.
No civilians are believed to have been harmed during the fighting, which drove villagers out of their homes into a nearby town.
Sunday's battle in Siah Choy highlights how insurgent activity has yet to cease, despite the arrival of winter. The cold weather usually slows insurgents, since many sleep outside and get their supplies from hideouts in the mountainous tribal lands straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"It seems that despite [the fact] we're in December the enemy is remaining in the area," said Maj. Moffet, of the Quebec-based 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment. "We have to tell them to go away for some time so we can resume with development and governance."
He added that the aim "is to create development, create jobs for people so they can work instead of using AK-47s with the Taliban. This is really what we want to do but we have to clear the place before we do that."
Maj. Moffet could not explain why the insurgents continue to be active, despite frequent clashes with coalition troops.
"It's kind of surprising to see so many insurgents still in the area," he said. "We've had a few big operations over the last two weeks. I have no explanation to tell you right now why they remain and why they are so resilient."
Taliban leaders have repeatedly said they would continue fighting this winter.
Air support gives NATO a marked advantage, said Maj. Moffet, making the battle "unsustainable" for its adversary.
Still, he admitted: "This is really a disrupting operation. It's going to last for what -- a couple of days, a week?"
The success of the operation will only last if Afghan soldiers and police officers bolster the coalition's presence on the ground to prevent insurgents from coming back, the military says. As part of this strategy, the Canadian Forces has set up seven Afghan police outposts in the Zhari and Panjwaii districts.
Maj. Moffet said the fledgling Afghan National Police would provide that presence on the ground, despite the force's reputation for poor discipline and corruption.
"If we want to be successful in the long term, we must remain," he said, "and this is what we're doing right now."
Close
http://www.nationalpost.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=174255
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- The dawn raid of a Taliban compound southwest of Kandahar City was heralded as a major success for the Canadian Forces after 41 Taliban fighters were killed and four others captured.
The NATO coalition of Canadian soldiers, Afghan National Army troops and soldiers with the British army's Royal Gurkha Regiment surprised sleeping insurgents as the early-morning call to prayer from the mosque at Siah Choy rang out over the cluster of farming villages with mud-walled compounds. The Taliban fled into an open space where they were bombed by NATO aircraft.
"All the strikes that happened were in open terrain," Major Richard Moffet, deputy commanding officer of the Canadian battle group, told reporters yesterday. "We kick them out, we follow them and we strike them."
The Sunday battle, dubbed Operation Sharp Sword, was designed to disrupt insurgent activities, such as planting improvised explosive devices -- or roadside bombs -- and ambushes on key roads travelled by military convoys in the volatile Zhari and Panjwaii districts of Kandahar province.
When the fighting was over, coalition forces walked away without a single casualty, Maj. Moffet said. A large Taliban weapons cache, including small arms, was also uncovered.
NATO has been fighting for control of the densely populated region, favoured by the Taliban because of their ability to blend into the background, since the summer of 2006.
Canadian soldiers claimed victory about a year ago in another military offensive that hemmed insurgents into a nearby area, about 40 kilo-metres southwest of Kandahar City.
This time around, Maj. Moffet praised the Gurkhas, a decorated regiment of Nepalese soldiers that worked closely with Afghan soldiers, for bearing the "brunt of the battle."
Three Gurkha soldiers described the insurgents' initial surprise at seeing them on Sunday.
"They knew we weren't Afghan soldiers, or Canadian soldiers; they couldn't figure out who we were," one said.
No civilians are believed to have been harmed during the fighting, which drove villagers out of their homes into a nearby town.
Sunday's battle in Siah Choy highlights how insurgent activity has yet to cease, despite the arrival of winter. The cold weather usually slows insurgents, since many sleep outside and get their supplies from hideouts in the mountainous tribal lands straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"It seems that despite [the fact] we're in December the enemy is remaining in the area," said Maj. Moffet, of the Quebec-based 3rd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment. "We have to tell them to go away for some time so we can resume with development and governance."
He added that the aim "is to create development, create jobs for people so they can work instead of using AK-47s with the Taliban. This is really what we want to do but we have to clear the place before we do that."
Maj. Moffet could not explain why the insurgents continue to be active, despite frequent clashes with coalition troops.
"It's kind of surprising to see so many insurgents still in the area," he said. "We've had a few big operations over the last two weeks. I have no explanation to tell you right now why they remain and why they are so resilient."
Taliban leaders have repeatedly said they would continue fighting this winter.
Air support gives NATO a marked advantage, said Maj. Moffet, making the battle "unsustainable" for its adversary.
Still, he admitted: "This is really a disrupting operation. It's going to last for what -- a couple of days, a week?"
The success of the operation will only last if Afghan soldiers and police officers bolster the coalition's presence on the ground to prevent insurgents from coming back, the military says. As part of this strategy, the Canadian Forces has set up seven Afghan police outposts in the Zhari and Panjwaii districts.
Maj. Moffet said the fledgling Afghan National Police would provide that presence on the ground, despite the force's reputation for poor discipline and corruption.
"If we want to be successful in the long term, we must remain," he said, "and this is what we're doing right now."
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