Posted on 02/23/2008 1:38:32 PM PST by Stoat
Satisfied ... Brigadier Andrew Mackay
FEROCIOUS fighting by British troops in Afghanistan has brought the Taliban to its knees, top brass reveal.
An onslaught throughout 2007 in Helmand province smashed the fanatics’ supply lines.
The Taliban are very low on fighters and are using foreigners for attacks.
The remaining foot soldiers have been forced out to remote regions. Brigadier Andrew Mackay, in charge of all 7,800 Brit forces in the province, said: “The Taliban are definitely worn down.
Brave ... British troops in Afghanistan
“In a pure tactical military context, 2007 was an extremely satisfying year for us. They are suffering from a lack of man-power and operating outside of their normal areas because they lack support from local populations.
“There is a dislocation between their senior command in Quetta and soldiers in southern Afghanistan, who have been living in pretty uncomfortable conditions and enduring a tough winter.”
Thousands of the Taliban have been killed in the past 12 months, which has seen some of the most intense combat faced by British troops since World War Two.
But success has come at a price, with 41 of Our Boys dying in the country last year.
The Taliban have turned to suicide bombers and booby trap devices after so many defeats on the battlefield.
Two Brit soldiers have been killed in the past week by hidden bombs.
Brig Mackay added: “They are having to change their modus operandi. That is why we are seeing asymmetric attacks and suicide bombings.
“These attacks preserve the position of the Taliban on local news agendas.
"But they are pretty damaging to their interests in terms of support at a tribal level.”
Cpl Damian Lawrence, 25, of the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, died on Sunday after stepping on a mine during a patrol on Sunday.
Then on Wednesday, Cpl Damian Mulvihill, 32, from 40 Commando was killed when a bomb tore through his Viking armoured vehicle.
A car bomb and suicide bomber also struck in next door Kandahar province earlier this week killing 140 locals.
(WARNING: DISTURBING IMAGERY AT ARTICLE LINK)
Afghanistan Heli heroes gun down Taliban warlord The Sun HomePageNews
SBS swoop to kill Taliban chief
A TALIBAN chief behind suicide attacks on British troops has been shot dead in a daring operation by elite forces in Afghanistan.
The Special Boat Service ambushed Mullah Abdul Matin as he crossed a desert on a motorbike.
Victim ... Wilkinson
They were dropped into his path by helicopter after a tip-off on his whereabouts. Matin spotted them and opened fire with an AK47 rifle but he was cut down in a hail of bullets.
Two henchmen with him – one his key lieutenant Mullah Karim Agha – were also killed in the firefight.
Matin, who was in his 40s, was killed on Monday near Gereshk in war-torn Helmand province.
Murdered ... Wright
Troops recovered night vision goggles, grenades and a detonator.
Matin, a deputy of Taliban chief Mullah Omar, had been one of the Coalition’s top targets for several months.
He had planned several suicide bomb attacks on British convoys, killing two British servicemen and wounding a dozen in the last 18 months.
Crest ... Special Boat Service
His fanatics are thought to have murdered Royal Marine Gary Wright, 22, from 45 Commando in October 2006, and Sgt Dave Wilkinson, 33, from 19 Regiment Royal Artillery, last July.
He is also thought to be behind the murders of dozens of Afghan civilians.
British Forces spokesman in Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Millar, said: “Mullah Matin’s been a priority target for some time. He commanded fighters and reported directly to the highest Taliban levels of command.
“He’s responsible for the kidnapping of local nationals, had links with the narcotics trade and had provided security to the traffickers.”
NATO spokesman Brigadier General Carlos Branco said the Taliban had suffered “another severe setback”.
God Bless the Brits!
Ping
Taliban on it’s knees? Ok, kill them where they kneel!
There was nothing disturbing about the picture of that dead mullah, except the fact that he is, whoops, was, butt ugly.
These brave souls, god bless them, need to come home and rid thier homeland and supporters of the cancer that has taken hold of Britain. Islam is a terrorist boys club who abuse and enslave thier women, murder thier daughters and are just insecure poor excuses for men.
I agree, but I’ve seen posts pulled for images less disturbing than that here at FR, and the lack of the image doesn’t significantly undermine the story. I felt it was more important the people see the story and if they want to see the images, I’ll leave it up to them.
btt
Dying like that is about the only way that ugly sucker has a chance to get one, let alone 72, virgins.
I understand...but I rather enjoyed the pic.
#1 of 5, #2 of 5, #3 of 5, #4 of 5, and #5 of 5.
Here's a link to a thread on #4 of these reports, which deals with the British troops reaction to mates getting killed in a blue-on-blue bombing dropped from a US Air Force jet.
Me too :-)
Unfortunately, the Mods here seem to have a different perspective than I do sometimes and so I wanted to post it in a manner where there would be 'nearly' no chance of the article or even the entire thread being pulled. I really wanted people to see both articles and to learn about the great things that our British Friends are doing.
I think that it's also instructive to see the articles in the sense that I can't say that I've EVER read such completely positive and supportive reporting from the American commercial "press". They might mention an occasional success in an offhand way, but it's always "balanced" by some innuendo of wrongdoing or the latest hysterical spew from Cindy Sheehan. I've found the Sun to be highly supportive of the troops (if you don't mind wading through miles of idiotic celebrity gossip).
THANK YOU very much...immpressive video.
Wait one minute! Obama, said we were so short handed, because of Iraq! How can we be winning? sar/
I watched the entire series, both parts 4 and 5. Thanks.
Yet another indicator of his caliber as a potential Commander In Chief.
(((((shudder))))))
That's fine with me. There are only so many places where a cockroach can hide.
(sorry to insult the cockroaches by the comparison)
Sky News is affiliated with Murdoch, so why doesn't Fox run this report? Second, where are the American reporters doing this coverage? The only ones I knew are independent bloggers like Michael Yon and Michael Totten. A third person is Pat Dollard, a former Hollywood agent, who went over to Iraq with a camera and his documentary, Young Americans is finally coming out.
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