The International Security Assistance Force said that Afghan commandos, backed by US Special Operations forces, killed more than 60 Taliban fighters, and possibly a senior Taliban leader, during a three-day-long operation in the Qaysar district in the northern Afghan province of Faryab. From the ISAF press release:
Afghan National Army commandos, partnered with U.S. Special Forces, eliminated more than 60 insurgents during clearing operations in Qaysar district, Faryab province in a three-day operation which began, May 13.
Members of 1st Company, 5th Commando Kandak cleared the area around Ghuchghar village after receiving reports of insurgent activity. In the ensuing engagements, the commandos reported destroying 23 motorcycles used by insurgents, several rocket propelled grenades, two crew served machine guns, numerous assault rifles and accompanying ammunition.
This operation has severely degraded the insurgent’s ability to intimidate the local population and has denied them freedom of movement throughout Ghuchghar area, according to a U.S. Special Operations soldier.
They are also investigating local reports that a high level insurgent leader was killed in the fighting.
Working jointly with al Qaeda affiliates such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party, the Taliban have stepped up attacks in the north while Coalition and Afghan forces have focused on operations in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. The northwestern provinces of Badghis, Faryab, Jawzjan, and Sar-i-Pul are estimated to have thousands of Taliban fighters sheltering in the region.
Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
13 Comments
A hopeful sign that the Afghan military will be able to defend their own country. Not quite 10 feet tall after all are you Talibs?
…maybe they will train the US DOD to generate an enemy KIA for under $10 million dollars. The US DOD has to be the least cost-effective organization in all of human history.
Indeed lets hope this is a sign that the Afghan Forces are finally getting their act together, we can show them how its done but for the defeat of the Taliban to be seen as legitimate the forces that accomplish this need to be Afghani.
Good for you guys keep up the good work.
This spring and summer is going to be really bad for the Taliban.
Whack-a-Mole Afghan Style
Can someone tell me why they destroyed all of the insurgents’ guns and ammo when they could have used them for the Afghan army or other local police? It seems like a waste of money. Even if the guns and ammo are in degraded condition, surely free is better than having to pay for new.
It seems that the Afghans are nicely developing some leaders with skill sets at the Junior officer and NCO levels. That’s usually the last resource to fall into place in incipient armies: They’re initially top and bottom heavy.
Can’t help wondering if this was the Taliban unit on motorcycles reported on May 11th in “Afghan Villagers Beat Back Taliban Assault in the North;” or maybe the Taliban unit on motorcycles reported on by Paul Refsdal in CNN’s recent show “Taliban.” In Refsdal’s report, I couldn’t help but wonder why our intelligence hadn’t been able to track down a large Taliban motorcyle gang in open country with no other traffic on the roads.
Am interested to know how much, if any, air and artillery support was used and what the ANA casualties were.
PFC Blackhawk
Interesting photo: A mix of Taliban (i.e. Pashtoon) and “Foreigners”?
The sniper (with the Dragunov on his shoulder with the scope unmounted). Is he wearing socks? Different footwear from the others? He also has gloves on and is carrying a handheld radio. He also has a backpack (scope? nightsight?). He also has the highest trouser cuffs (it’s a weird salafist thing keeping clothes off the ground).
His clothing style is very similar to the other guy with the radio. And the other guy in the background behind the SUV. Perhaps they’re all in the SUV together than the Pashtuns ride on the bikes?
The RPG carrier is posing and I suspect is a youngster and a Pashtun.
5 bikes and an SUV with 8 people (one out of shot to the left but you can see his shadow and the photographer). So three in the SUV.
These Taliban are just bandits and common criminals. Its time for them to give up the fight and start living in peace. No armed bandits roaming the countryside doing whatever they want to the innocent local populations.
civy…
An apt nic.
America always goes over budget in all of its wars.
Hollywood normally goes over budget, too.
It’s the consequence of having plenty of money and a reluctance to throw away American lives.
McNamara thought as you do. How’d that work out?
Since war destroys assets, lives and good feelings — that is its nature — making it even cheaper and prettier is not exactly what any economist would recommend.
Both Caesar and Napoleon made war ‘economic’; so they ran a volume business. Adjusted for relative populations — Caesar murdered more civilians than any other tyrant in Western history. ( % of population, basis )
So it’s a good thing that war is so expensive; we have less of it. (BTW, ISI is making war on a budget — hence they want no end of it. Like Caesar and Napoleon they’re making it a paying operation; revisiting the Thirty Years War.)
Blert, it’s only expensive for us, so only we will have less of it. Not a good thing. We’re currently spending about a trillion a year on defense when DHS and veteran’s benefits are considered.
The next biggest spender on defense is China at $129 billion. We’ll be having a lot less DOD if we are to balance the budget. Too much less given we can’t do anything on a budget.
You aren’t really going to suggest that what was primarily wrong with Mac’s War in Vietnam was that it was too low budget are you?
What’s going on in Libya is classic. Instead of TOW and Stinger missiles, billion in operational costs and trillions in hardware to a less effective end.