Posted on 09/07/2006 7:33:08 PM PDT by blam
Hundreds more troops are needed to beat Taliban, warns Nato chief
By Richard Westmacott in Kabul
(Filed: 08/09/2006)
Nato's senior military commander yesterday called for hundreds of reinforcements to combat the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, where he said fighting was reaching a "decisive moment".
35 British troops have died since 4,500 began arriving earlier this year
US Gen James Jones said that the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, British Lt Gen David Richards, needed more troops soon.
"We have to give the commander additional insurance in terms of some forces that can be there, perhaps temporarily, to make sure that we can carry the moment," he said in Belgium, admitting that the "level of intensity" of the Taliban's summer offensive had been a surprise.
He said Nato troops were fighting the fiercest battles in the organisation's history. "It's something akin to poking the bee hive and the bees are swarming," he said of the Taliban resistance.
Gen Jones said the coalition had lost 21 dead in fighting this year with 80 wounded, with another 21 dead and 37 injured in non-battle incidents such as the crash of a RAF Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft last Saturday. In all, 35 British troops have died since a contingent of 4,500 began arriving earlier this year.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato's secretary-general, joined the general's appeal, urging alliance members to come to the support of the British, Canadian and Dutch troops leading the fight.
"Those allies who perhaps are doing less in Afghanistan should think, 'Shouldn't we do more?' There are certainly a number of allies who can do more," Mr de Hoop Scheffer told reporters in Brussels.
The number of troops in the south has risen to about 10,000 since Nato took over from US forces in July.
Troops have pushing into areas that were previously largely left to their own devices with limited government presence.
However, they have been facing Taliban fighters who have abandoned their established hit and run tactics in Helmand and areas of Kandahar province and instead have taken and held ground with groups of fighters in the hundreds.
Pressure is now falling on several nations with forces deployed to less dangerous areas to allow their troops to be redeployed to the south.
Germany, with 2,800 men in the relatively tranquil north, is being encouraged to loosen restrictions on where its forces are deployed, as are France, Italy and Turkey. However, a German defence ministry spokesman said: "It is still the case that our focus is on the northern region." Gen Jones said a meeting of senior generals from all 26 Nato nations in Warsaw tomorrow would be used to ask for hundreds of reinforcements, as well as extra helicopters and transport planes.
"It will help us to reduce casualties and bring this to a successful conclusion in a short period of time," he said.
"In the relatively near future, certainly before the winter, we will see this decisive moment in the region turn in favour of the troops that represent the government."
Gen Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, this week aimed to reassure Afghanistan and the coalition that his country, accused of tolerating havens for militants, would act to prevent cross-border Taliban activity.
However, his words were greeted with scepticism by some diplomats in Kabul.
"There was not much acknowledgement of the problems that Afghanistan and the international community are citing," said one senior Western diplomat. "There was an almost wilful ill-attention to those concerns."
Canadian forces south-west of Kandahar yesterday reported that they were tightening their hold on the area where they claim to have several hundred Taliban fighters trapped in the village of Pashmul.
Can't we spare a couple B-52's?
IMO there is a very delicate knife-edge in Afghanistan for western troops. Get too many foreign troops there, and the various tribal groups will decide they are being occupied and join together long enough to expell the outsiders, and then they'll go back to their millenial-old habits of shooting at each other.
Needing hundreds is encouraging because he isn't asking for thousands.
He said Nato troops were fighting the fiercest battles in the organisation's history.
Hundreds of Euro-fighters or a dozen US troops (with the right rules of engagement).
I agree. Hundreds ought to be doable.
Is this turning into the same kind of fiasco that the old Soviet Union discovered Afghanistan to be?
No, it's not.
I Doubt it.
The big difference is that The Soviets wished to crush them and take them over.
We have no such intent. We intend to allow Aghans to control Afghanistan.
They lost 35 out of 4,500 and now want hundreds more to replace them. Is Monty Montgomery the general over there?
I dont think it will turn that way... there is a big difference bet. the Talibs and Western troops lately... American/Canadian/Euro troops are very well trained and fights very well coordinated. Most of the Talibs don't want to engage directly to the troops because this will mean non-stop chases and a likely death... If we try to anylize the casualties on our side, its too far small. Only the MSM is making a big deal out of it. I'd say let all NATO soldiers go there and get exposed to the real firefights free of charge rather than sitting back in their own countries criticizing how Americans fight the war. Let them taste it for good.
Hundreds? Not thousands? Surely all of NATO can manage to send another, say 1900 troops to Afghanistan without breaking a sweat.
No one can explain to me why we fight a PC war with no objective to win.
"American/Canadian/Euro troops are very well trained and fights very well coordinated."
This is very much the case. The Canadians have been particularly outstanding. Allied or American, if the commanding general wants more troops, he should get them.
Indeed. Im glad that lately, the new PM is giving enough attention to it's military that was in most time despised by their own former (liberal) leaders. They got a good breed of tough soldiers...
How about 10,000 daisy cutters?
The "Euro-fighters" as you call them are UK Paratroopers.
I would love, absolutely love, to see you repeat that kind of slur in their presence.
I would also bet money that any US millitary who have served with the Paras would put you straight in short order if you ever discussed it with them.
Happy to do so.
That would be fine with me, if it's what you want. You just replace our fighters with Americans. Then my British officer, a veteran of Iraq1, Iraq2 (two tours), now with NATO in a southern province of Afghanistan could come home to us.
Maybe ALL the NATO fighting men should come home. According to you, several dozen Americans could handle it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.