Tiny Minority of Extremists Update: the Taliban has asked 10,000 jihadists from moderate, peaceful Uzbekistan to come help them out in Helmand. "Taliban 'invite' 10,000 Uzbeks to Helmand," by Massoud Ansari in the Sunday Telegraph, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Islamic militants linked to Osama bin Laden have been offered a safe haven by the Taliban in Afghanistan, bringing them into conflict with British troops patrolling the lawless province of Helmand. Uzbek gunmen, who fought a series of bloody battles last week with Pakistani tribesmen in the border region of Waziristan, where they had been living, have been told they should join the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan instead.The move raises the prospect of a major upsurge in violence in Helmand, where 43 British soldiers have been killed in clashes with militants over the last five years.
The group of around 10,000 Uzbeks are led by Tahir Yuldashev, a close associate of the al-Qaeda terrorist chief, who is believed to be hiding out in the mountainous border area with his chief henchman Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The members of the Islamic Movement Union of Uzbekistan fell out with their Pakistani hosts after accusing some tribal leaders of acting as agents of the Pakistani government, which is under huge pressure from the US to crack down on Islamic militants. Pakistan government officials said that nearly 160 people, including 130 Uzbeks, were killed in the battle.
Jihad war terrorists tend to be factional, so one must regard this offer by the Taliban to be farsighted.
A share of the heroin booty in exchange for help in beating down the Wetern forces in a sustained effort to hook up with the world's newest nation, the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan.
It is critical the the expanded nation be made: the Islamic Emirates of Balochi-Pushtostan, right there to the northwest of what would then be the 2nd most awful nation on earth, Pakistan.
Asking for 10,000 reinforcements?...sounds like a plea for help..
Why not count upon 3000 angels, like the prophet did in his religious career ?
Do allah's angels not help legitimate jihadists automatically, in a far more severe war in these times ?
The Islamic faith is phoney.
It isn’t so long ago the Taliban were bragging about the spring offensive and how they were going to wipe the infidels from the map. But then the British declared their own spring offensive, one part of the offensive was Op Glacier:
“UK Task Force - supported for the first time ever by UK-trained Afghan artillery - took part in Operation Glacier, attacking a major Taliban headquarters and stronghold south of Garmsir in southern Helmand.”
While attacking the area the troops discovered an extensive trench and underground bunker system linking compounds; in places the trenches were 40m long, a metre wide and more than 2m deep with a network of firing points and cover positions.
Maj Wilson said: “The big difference between Garmsir and everywhere else in Helmand is that it is very linear in nature. The area is littered with Taliban prepared positions; it’s almost like a First World War battlefield in appearance.”
Lieutenant Colonel Rob McGowan said: “The operation was a great success, we achieved our objective of destroying and clearing Taliban compounds whilst pushing enemy forces further south from the district centre.”
There were no UKTF or ANA casualties. There were Taliban casualties but it is not possible to say how many.