Exclusive: Eyewitness Account of Huge Taliban Defeat

ABC News ^ | 13 December 2007 | Stephen Grey

[Cap Huff]

As the only journalist to join NATO forces entering the town, I found it a ghost town abandoned by both the Taliban and its residents at the end of an eight-day coalition operation. The offensive was one of NATO's biggest in the country since Operation Anaconda in 2002.

Embedded with a team of British troops and a detachment/"A–team" of U.S. special forces, I watched the Taliban being pounded these last few days with overwhelming force -- vapor trails circled in the clear blue sky over the Helmand desert as B1 and B52 bombers backed by A10 tank busters, F16s, Apache helicopters and Specter gunships were used to kill hundreds of Taliban fighters.

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[Stonewall Jackson]

While hundreds of Taliban are believed to have been killed, two British soldiers and one American soldier lost their lives. All the deaths, however, resulted from vehicles striking mines left not, it is believed, by the Taliban but by Soviet forces in the 1980s.

As if fighting in Afghanistan wasn't dangerous enough, our troops have to watch out for the junk the Soviets left behind 20-25 years ago.

[Cap Huff]

I am not familiar with this journalist or any possible biases, but given the fact that he has written “Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA’s Rendition and Torture Program” I would imagine that he has certain leanings.

Nevertheless, this is a fascinating account. What is tragically ironic is that the three coalition fatalities he mentions seem to have been caused by Soviet era landmines.

[oyez]

Evil takes a beating.

Wonderful job, troops.

[Cap Huff]

Yes, I found that was a detail that really stood out.

[Westlander]

Gee, wonder why this wasn’t seen/heard on broadcast TV ?

[Straight Vermonter]

Nice. Thanks for the ping.

[Wiz]

ping

[Cap Huff]

We wouldn’t want people to get the impression that there’s anything good coming out of Afghanistan. They might actually come to overwhelmingly support the WOT again. That would be bad for the MSM agenda.

[Berlin_Freeper]

GO US!

[STARWISE]

Embedded with a team of British troops and a detachment/"A–team" of U.S. special forces, I watched the Taliban being pounded these last few days with overwhelming force -- vapor trails circled in the clear blue sky over the Helmand desert as B1 and B52 bombers backed by A10 tank busters, F16s, Apache helicopters and Specter gunships were used to kill hundreds of Taliban fighters.

~~~~~

God love and protect our amazing troops! That must've been something to see. WaHoo!

[Allegra]

Well done, troops!

[Cap Huff]

Our troops are the greatest! And it seems our allies played a big role in this one too. I don’t think this one will be given back again in any deals. At least I hope not.

[kms61]

if by “airborne operation” he means an actual parachute drop, it would be the first large scale one since the early days of OIF I, and one of only a handful since WWII. But I’m guessing it was actually an air assault, ie helicopter insertion.

[tpanther]

and the hypocrats are deeply saddened.

[Loud Mime]

As if fighting in Afghanistan wasn't dangerous enough, our troops have to watch out for the junk the Soviets left behind 20-25 years ago.

We have some old soviet junk running for president now...

[Finalapproach29er]

Afghn. is the most heavily mined nation on Earth.

[tongue-tied]

Gret post! And nice spanking for the Taliban.

[Gamecock]

Specter gunships

Considering that our ground forces in Afghanistan are light infantry (read: no tanks) this is an awesome weapon to have on call.

I am told that you can put a pack of cigarettes anywhere on a football field, call in a Specter, and it will put so much ammo on that field that it will hit the cigarettes.