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"Afghan forces recapture district," by Amir Shah for the Associated Press:
KABUL, Afghanistan - Hundreds of Afghan soldiers and police retook a district outside the capital from the Taliban on Friday, pushing out militants who had seized the area in fierce fighting a day earlier, a senior Afghan official said.
Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province, said a hastily organized force of more than 250 officers encountered no resistance when they swept into Giro.
"The district is under our control," Pathan told The Associated Press by telephone. "There was no resistance because the cowardly enemy escaped."
He said police, assisted by Afghan soldiers and troops from the U.S.-led military coalition, were combing villages in search of any fighters still hiding there.
The Taliban takeover of Giro, just 110 miles from Kabul, helped undermine claims by the Afghan government and its foreign backers that President Hamid Karzai has expanded government control of the country.
Militants have repeatedly overrun towns in rural areas, especially in the south and east, despite the presence of NATO and U.S. troops whose numbers have swelled to the current 47,000.
But the Taliban's hold is usually short-lived.
The Taliban's strategy appears at least in part to be projecting the message that while they are not in control, neither is Karzai, and as evidenced by previous operations like this one, they can swoop in more or less at will, at least until help arrives (most often involving NATO).
Officials said more than 100 suspected Taliban attacked Giro on Thursday evening, setting fire to buildings and cutting telephone lines.
The district mayor, police chief and three policemen were killed during several hours of fighting, deputy governor Kazim Allayer said. Pathan estimated that about 10 of the militants also died.
NATO and the U.S.-led coalition said they were aware of the incident, but had no details.
NATO-led forces are pushing forward with their biggest-ever offensive in southern Afghanistan to root out militants in the opium-producing heartland of Helmand province.
Posted by Marisol at April 27, 2007 2:30 PM
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Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province, said a hastily organized force of more than 250 officers encountered no resistance when they swept into Giro.Sultan Mahmoud of Ghazni would be so proud. Of his Talibs.
Same question as Iraq - why are we still there?
Posted by: Infidel Pride![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 27, 2007 2:58 PM
Whack-a-talib. Get used to it. It's gonna be around for a while. Ditto in Iraq.
Posted by: BunrattyBill at April 27, 2007 3:00 PM
The talibs are taking a page from the Viet Cong playbook of 45 years ago. Use hit and run tactics. Kill local government officials. Leave. I doubt that there is a line forming to replace the dead district mayor, police chief and police officers who died in this attack. Karzai himself seems to be little more than mayor of Kabul, and you have to wonder how far his writ runs there. As soon as allied forces begin worrying about defending territory, we enter a phase of the war we are unlikely to win. Western style democracy, religious pluralism, etc. are not desired by most of the inhabitants of either Afghanistan or Iraq. The type of asymmetrical warfare we are engaged in will go on as long as we are willing to fund it. We need to come to the realization the type of "victory" Bush and his neo-con advisors seek is a chimera. Concentrate instead on defending the United States by being willing to go after and kill our enemies wherever they seek refuge using any weapon we have. Do not waste time organizing elections, building schools, establishing power grids, etc. We may have to enter (and leave) failed states like Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq multiple times. We may also have to hunt and destroy enemies in places like Athens, Rome and Madrid in Mossad-style raids. The challenge of a global, yet stateless enemy, is a threat unlike any we have yet faced. Taking and attempting to hold territory seems unlikely to clear a road to victory.
Posted by: MP at April 27, 2007 3:16 PM
"Fierce fighting" the day before? That was hardly the case as the Taliban accomplished nothing and police drove them out.
The Taliban numbers are faultering. Their grand spring offensive was an absolute bust. They can not face any armed force and the best they can do is hit and run operations.
To state the Karzai is not in control, because of this is like stating President Bush is not in control of America when Mexican yotes cross the border and raise cain in US towns and the cross back over.
The only place the Taliban have any support is the ethnic Pakistan tribes and the weaklings in Pakistan who think Shira will make them someone when they are failures.
2 fronts are now the war on terror. Iran and Pakistan with the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: Lame Cherry at April 27, 2007 3:46 PM
I say drop a McDonalds in there, that has proven to be a better use of dollars than bombs, look what it did to the commies.
Posted by: OLD SARGE at April 27, 2007 4:18 PM
Sarge - We could wheel out the big guns, and gift 'em with a "Hooters". Both hardening of the arteries and ehh.. hardening.. well, never mind.
Posted by: MP at April 27, 2007 4:22 PM
I think that may be a little over the TOP, you know how that STUFF sends them people into satanic state!!!!!!
Posted by: OLD SARGE at April 27, 2007 4:50 PM
Do not waste time organizing elections, building schools, establishing power grids, etc. We may have to enter (and leave) failed states like Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq multiple times. We may also have to hunt and destroy enemies in places like Athens, Rome and Madrid in Mossad-style raids. The challenge of a global, yet stateless enemy, is a threat unlike any we have yet faced. Taking and attempting to hold territory seems unlikely to clear a road to victory.
Posted by: MP
All of this makes perfect sense. Too bad the politicians can't figure it out.
We have indeed no reason at all to stay and hold territory which in the end we won't decide to keep.
They have to be doing something to provoke us to come in so we are under no obligation to fix the mess lateron. Just make sure we don't have to let in any "refugees".
Posted by: Allahfanculo at April 27, 2007 4:50 PM
Terrorise those villages. Never let em feel safe.
The good guys cant be everywhere at once, so the Talabanies attack where they find a hole, kill a few, terrorise many, steal a few things, then withdraw. Sounds a lot like US home invasions...
Sarge...
Talabanies will never go for a Big Mac. They know that the commies turned into losers with the Big Nac attack. The US was attacked by Big Mac years ago, and look what it's done for us. Hairy Reed ate one in 1987 and look at him now, a self proclaimed loser. And Nancy Pelosi's adventures with Big Mac are legendary. Hairy was dumb enough to go for it, but not the Talabanies. Lets face it, the Talabanies are not in it for the burgers, so there's not much business for a burger emporium...
at April 27, 2007 5:07 PM
"Taking and attempting to hold territory seems unlikely to clear a road to victory."
Level the place and leave nothing left for them to defend.
Take away their will to fight, and the will of the people to support them. Only after they are thoroughly defeated and we accept nothing less than uconditional surrender do we implement any type of rebuilding program.
That's how we beat Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. Of course the German and Japanese people didn't immediately take to killing each other with us in the middle.
On the other hand, we had veto power over what they put in the constitution. And state sponsered religion was absoluty forbidden.
Posted by: walterc at April 27, 2007 5:08 PM
Drop Rosie on em???
Posted by: OLD SARGE at April 27, 2007 5:12 PM
Now why would we want to drop a pig on them?
Oh, that's right...neeeeever mind! LOL
at April 27, 2007 5:21 PM
Soccer Jihad in Australia:
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/04/28/australia-soccer-video-jihad/
Holland:
Wilders intimidated by Anti Terror Authority:
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/04/28/holland-wilders-intimidated-by-anti-terrorism-authority/
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at April 27, 2007 8:57 PM
MP: "Do not waste time organizing elections, building schools, establishing power grids, etc. We may have to enter (and leave) failed states like Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq multiple times. We may also have to hunt and destroy enemies in places like Athens, Rome and Madrid in Mossad-style raids. The challenge of a global, yet stateless enemy, is a threat unlike any we have yet faced. Taking and attempting to hold territory seems unlikely to clear a road to victory."
Does MP stand for military police? In any case, your strategy sounds like what Rumsfeld was trying to redesign our modern military for. Where did Runsfeld stand in relation to the attempt to build democracy in Iraq and to use our military as a police force, building hearts and minds? Did he oppose it? Was it the State Department that pushed that strategy? I know there was a great deal of infighting between the Pentagon and the State Dept vis a vis Iraq but I am curious as to whether what you describe was what Rumsfeld was actually trying to achieve by redesigning the modern American military - small mobile units that go in and out and don't hang around for state-building in the aftermath?
Posted by: Caroline at April 27, 2007 9:35 PM
It's easier to sow chaos than crops.
All insurgencies, whether Leninist or Maoist, or jihadist, know this.
MP has the right response.
Track them back and wipe them out at their source.
Until that is done, businesses, schools, and other mere infrastructure are pointless luxuries.
Better targets for the terrorists.
Crush the s.o.b.'s first.
Otherwise your just putting additions on a burning house.
Posted by: profitsbeard at April 27, 2007 11:04 PM
Drop Rosie on em???
Posted by: OLD SARGE
And the Dixie Dicks.. gooood riddance!
at April 27, 2007 11:45 PM
You misspelled "ditzy sh*ts".
Posted by: jcom972 at April 27, 2007 11:52 PM
Lame Cherry,
I wrote you a quick question at the end of the 4/26/07 Beheading is Unislamic thread, in response to a comment of yours on that thread. Since I am unsure if you will notice that question, I repeat it here.
You wrote: "...There are of course different ethnic groups in Afghanistan, but the Afghan compared to the Pushtan is different as night and day..."
My question:
What, exactly, is the "Afghan" ethnic group?
Posted by: del
at April 27, 2007 11:54 PM
Any dream I had that women & girls of Afghanistan
would be released from oppression & forced marriages is turning into a depressing nightmare..
Karzai's government remains weak & corrupt,also committed to SHARIA LAW.
NATO is fighting a losing battle against inexhaustible supply of suicide bombers & Taleban
which will result in withdrawal,probably not much longer than when U.S exits Iraq.
Besides as West itself comes under more attacks,it can no longer afford the expense or soldiers to hold remote outposts in Barbarian lands.
at April 28, 2007 6:04 AM
Moragane you cannot expect changes to happen overnight. Karzai is much like the typical muslim with Eurocrat tendencies. the taliban's much powerful spring push is really a wimpy run and hide among skirts. what NATO needs to do is bomb the crap out of the pak border.
Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at April 28, 2007 6:52 AM
I read in yesterday's local (Houston) paper (usually runs news from the previous month/week/day) that since the Taliban had left Kabul, the birth rate was up 18%. This was the first good argument I have heard for restoring the Taliban.
Posted by: sheiknbake4pork at April 28, 2007 8:25 AM
LOL...houston chronic...?
One of the most leftwing papers in America.
May was well read pravda.
LOL
at April 28, 2007 7:57 PM
i recall reading an article long ago that stated Osama bin-Laden was in the Giro area surrounded by loyal taliban terrorists and friendly tribal groups....I wonder if he is still there...
Posted by: exsgtbrown at April 30, 2007 4:52 PM
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