NATO nabs key Taliban leaders
Insurgents’ command structure seriously impaired, officer says
By JOHN COTTER The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — NATO forces are zeroing in on the Taliban command structure in southern Afghanistan, killing or capturing more than 10 insurgent leaders and key people in March alone.
The tactic is disrupting the insurgents, affecting their ability to fight, plant roadside bombs and organize suicide bombers in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, said Lt.-Col. Stephane Grenier, a public affairs officer for the International Security Assistance Force.
"We have taken a fairly significant chunk out of their ability to operate," Grenier said Saturday.
"Over 10 people, key people; decision makers who have a lot of influence over Taliban extremist activities."
"When I say key individuals, I mean that is everything from a key Taliban leader to a suicide cell facilitator, IED facilitators, people who facilitate the fabrication of bombs."
He declined to give an exact number of Taliban leaders who have been killed or captured. ISAF launched Operation Achilles on March 6.
Grenier’s comments came after ISAF announced the capture of what it called three key Taliban extremists during a raid Friday in Kandahar city.
During the raid, Taj Mohammed, his brother Raz Mohammed and Bacha Aka were captured and handed over to Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security.
They are accused of trying to assassinate two community leaders in the Kandahar area.
Grenier would neither confirm nor deny that Canadian soldiers were part of the raid.
"You can reach your own conclusions about who operates in the Kandahar area," he said. Canada has a 1,200-soldier battle group in the province.
"We are not prepared to attribute specific actions with specific nations."
NATO also said that it killed several Taliban leaders in the northern part of Helmand province using what it called precision air strikes.
Such attacks are being used more frequently by coalition forces.
Two senior Taliban field commanders, Mullah Manan and Abdul Ghafour, were killed in the Musa Qala district of Helmand in early February in air attacks. Other insurgents were captured over the winter.
Taking leaders out of the battle helps the coalition by reducing civilian casualties and creating confusion in Taliban ranks, Grenier said.
Captured leaders can also provide the Afghan government and ISAF with important military intelligence.
"Individuals are turned over to government authorities," he said. "All I will say on that is the government of Afghanistan and ISAF collaborate."
Brian MacDonald, senior defence analyst for the Conference of Defence Associations, said removing leaders is very disruptive.
He said such leaders are usually responsible for managing inter-clan and inter-tribal relationships, particularly where fighting alliances must be constantly re-negotiated, and where supply routes cross the lands of other clans and tribal groups.
"Replacing a leader at this level can be very complex, particularly among cross-clan or mixed tribe alliances where each faction has a preferred replacement choice," MacDonald told The Canadian Press.
"The removal of a key leader causes a pause in the effectiveness of the organization he leads while succession is sorted out and the new leader comes up to speed."
David Bercuson of the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military and Strategic Studies said eliminating Taliban leadership is disruptive, but additional measures are needed to undermine the insurgency.
"It could also work very well if combined with other tactics such as peeling away those who are not hardline religious leaders (or followers) via bribery, amnesties, and of course substantive progress in local development and effective traditional counter-insurgency operations," he said.
Operation Achilles is a plan to drive the Taliban out of northern Helmand to pave the way for economic development projects, including repairing and improving the Kajaki hydro-electric dam, which controls much of the area’s water supply.
The campaign involves British, Afghan, American, Dutch and other coalition forces. A Canadian armoured task force of about 250 troops is supporting the operation in the Maywand district of Kandahar province.
Maj.-Gen. Ton van Loon, commander of ISAF’s Regional Command South, said Operation Achilles has taken the initiative away from the insurgents.
"We have inflicted serious damage to their command and control infrastructure as well as their ability to resupply," van Loon said in a release.
