Posted on 02/14/2010 10:10:27 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The first stage of the onslaught against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan has "gone according to plan", the Ministry of Defence said Sunday.
More than 1,000 British troops are taking part in Operation Mushtarak in Helmand province, a major assault designed to return the Taliban-held town of Marjah and surrounding areas to the control of the Afghan government.
British forces supported by Afghan troops are holding the Nad Ali area north of Marjah, Major General Gordon Messenger told journalists in London, while thousands of US troops are focusing on Marjah itself.
A total of 15,000 US, NATO and Afghan forces are taking part in the operation, the biggest assault in Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted in a 2001 offensive.
British troops were not involved in the firing of missiles which missed their intended target and killed 12 civilians in the Nad Ali district, the Ministry of Defence said.
At the briefing, Messenger said British commanders on the ground were not complacent about their operation to control the area but were "very much of the view this has gone according to plan".
The next stage of the operation to consolidate the area has begun, he said, with British troops constructing bridges and building bases.
Troops have also provided security to allow hundreds of Afghan elders to attend two shuras, or tribal gatherings, in a town which was formerly the local seat of Taliban government.
British forces had faced small arms fire as they pushed into the area, Messenger said, but he added: "Nothing has stopped the mission from progressing."
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
Why do I feel so uneasy about this success?
I do too, but the top brass seems to confirm of what it going on the ground.
to really underline the BIG CHANGE , they need to wipe out all the poppy fields , which appear to be freshly planted for spring. Use the vehicles to dive them in . Then should NOT turn over any opium they find to any Afghans .That is sure to keep it in the pipeline . Rather have mass burning demonstrations . They need to let all those ‘poor villager’ know , loud and clear , that they are permanently out of the dope business . If they don’t like it too bad . Kill all the Taliban and tell the villagers what the new rules are , period.
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