Posted on 09/12/2006 12:29:13 PM PDT by Clive
PANJWAII, Afghanistan (CP) - Canadian troops collected Taliban weapons and nuggets of intelligence Tuesday as the battle to enforce NATO control over the restive Panjwaii district entered a final phase.
Afghan and Canadian soldiers have a last push and weeks of mop-up ahead, but the major battle they expected against hardcore Taliban fighters has dissolved for the moment. For the third straight day, soldiers encountered little resistance as they approached the southern front in this fight.
As the sun set, a trio of Taliban fighters put up a brief skirmish against a combined force of U.S., Canadian and Afghan troops. The insurgents were overwhelmed by air assault, missiles, cannon and small-arms fire.
NATO issued an estimate that 65 per cent of the objective territory is now under their control.
For the first time in several days, the alliance did not issue an enemy body count, figures hotly contested by the Taliban and impossible to confirm on the front lines where few bodies have surfaced.
One of the biggest risks to the allied soldiers remains booby traps and suicide attacks from the small groups of fighters left behind.
The relatively quiet advance of recent days was in stark contrast to the ambushes, rocket attacks and constant skirmishes of the previous week that killed four Canadians, one U.S. soldier and left more than a dozen wounded. An airplane accident also killed 14 British troops and a friendly fire incident killed a Canadian and wounded dozens.
With hundreds of Taliban dead in air strikes by NATO estimates and many other militants fleeing the area, military investigators turned their attention to combing for clues on how the insurgents operate.
In one compound in newly held ground, the army's Sensitive site Exploitation team sifted through weapons and, more importantly, new intelligence.
With the help of an Afghan interpreter, they discovered a ledger containing the names of a dozen Taliban fighters along with the weapons they were issued, including heavy machine-guns and rocket propelled grenades.
"It shows a lot of organization," said military policeman Sgt. Roger Marcinowski of Edmonton, "especially with the names that the weapons are issued to.
"Potentially there is a lot of intelligence value there. Each site we've found is a little bit different, but this one has yielded the most."
The find showed that the Taliban left the village in a hurry amidst the heavy bombardment of recent days, according to Marcinowski.
On one page of the ledger in large, artful Persian script, the Afghan interpreter, who only wanted to be identified as Khan, found the slogan: "Long Live the Taliban movement."
Nearby sat a dozen small pamphlets Khan described as "Taliban how-to manuals."
The books were mainly full of Qur'an verses used to justify war against western armies, he said.
"This is what they use when someone asks, 'Why are you fighting?' " Khan said.
The team also found weapons, ammunition and rudimentary medical equipment. In the middle of the compound, the Taliban team had dug a trench three metres deep and two metres wide, likely meant to cache weapons.
"They seemed to be determined to put up a fierce resistance and it looks like they had the means with which to do so," Marcinowski said.
The insurgents clearly left in a hurry, dropping their shovels and pick axes where they worked on the trench.
Several pairs of sandals were left in place, along with a dozen dirty tea cups.
In a strange moment of levity, a soldier called on the radio to declare he had seen a lion.
Although leopards are known to live in Afghanistan, one officer suggested the soldier had spent too much time in the marijuana and opium crops that dominate the area.
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The terms "intelligence" and "Taliban" don't seem to go together too well.
Wait ... I thought A'stan was lost.
Nearby sat a dozen small pamphlets Khan described as "Taliban how-to manuals."
I'm guessing that the manuals were very "small."
"Long Live the Taliban movement."
George Carlin could probably do something with that line.
"Cdn soldiers mopping up Panjwaii operation"
How can that be?
All the major US networks are telling us Afghanistan has
been lost!
But seriously, good work by the Canadian troops.
And shame on ABC, CBS, and NBC news divisions.
As if they are anything other than propaganda conduits.
Goody, now MSM can blame NATO and Afghanistan for not finding Obama barak bin Laden.
yitbos
Let's not ignore BBC, CBC and the Toronto Star.
Auntie and Mother Corp are especially good at implying defeat without actually saying so.
Please send me a FReepmail to get on or off this Canada ping list.
Kinda like checking the mousetraps in the morning . . . A few less vermin!
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