Posted on 11/12/2001 5:48:58 AM PST by NC Conservative
Routed Taliban 'collapsing like dominos'
Northern Alliance claims string of victories but Bush orders it to keep out of Kabul
By Justin Huggler in Khojabahuddin and Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor
12 November 2001
Afghanistan's opposition forces have closed in on Kabul, claiming to have recaptured large swathes of territory from the retreating Taliban in a triumphant sweep across the north.
The opposition foreign minister, Abdullah Abdullah, described a sudden collapse of Taliban forces that he said put Northern Alliance troops on the outskirts of Herat, the main city in western Afghanistan, and approaching the capital after overrunning Bamiyan.
Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, confirmed for the first time that British military personnel, believed to be members of the SAS, are active on the ground in Afghanistan.
"I can confirm that there are members of Britain's armed forces on the ground in northern Afghanistan, liaising with the Northern Alliance providing advice and assistance," he told BBC Radio 4's The World this Weekend programme.
Taliban forces were said to be withdrawing towards Kabul, two days after the dramatic fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, in what appears to be a sensational success for the American strategy of bombing in support of the Northern Alliance.
But many of the reported advances were unconfirmed. Most of them appeared to be the result not of pitched battles, but of the defection of local Taliban commanders and the sincerity of those defections is not yet certain.
Mr Abdullah expressed surprise at the speed of the reported Taliban collapse. "I knew the cracks could produce a sort of domino effect and this could get out of their [the Taliban's] control," he said.
It was reported that a planned Northern Alliance offensive on Kabul had been "postponed" after US President George Bush warned the Alliance to hold back from the capital until a provisional government could be formed. But Mr Abdullah refused to rule out a march on Kabul in the coming days.
The alliance claimed its forces were about to enter Taloqan, yesterday, after Taliban commanders in the northern city defected along with 5,000 of their men. But the claim was impossible to verify, and the Taliban denied that the city had fallen.
If the fall of Taloqan is confirmed, all that would stand between the Northern Alliance and control of the north as far west as Mazar is the heavily fortified city and province of Kunduz. If Kunduz were to fall, forces in the north-east could join those who captured Mazar to create a continuous swathe of Northern Alliance territory.
Elsewhere, the Alliance claimed it had made major gains in the provinces of Bamiyan and Baghlan, and captured the towns of Eskamesh, Nahran, Chal, and the strategic road junction at Pul-i-Khumri, which commands the main road into Kabul itself.
But the alliance suffered setbacks as well. In heavy fighting overnight, Taliban forces pushed back an alliance advance in fighting on the Dasht-i-qaleh front line north of Taloqan, one of the approaches to Kunduz. There were rumours that a member of an American special forces team guiding bombers over the city had been wounded.
North of Kabul, alliance commanders appeared to be chafing at the bit as they heard of the successes to their west. But the US fears its strategy could unravel if they were to capture Kabul, where they are unpopular. It is thought the Pashtuns of the south will not stomach the minority-dominated alliance in the capital.
Mr Hoon told a newspaper that he would be "quite happy to see the Northern Alliance steam across northern Afghanistan and take Kabul" but after the Americans made their views clear, he amended his comments. "We want them [the alliance] to march towards Kabul, to take ground, to deny the Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden space in Afghanistan," he told BBC's Breakfast with Frost. Downing Street also said that it merely wanted the alliance to "march towards" Kabul but not yet enter the city.
Mr bin Laden warned the US-led coalition that he would never allow himself to be captured alive. "America can't get me alive," he told a Pakistani interviewer.
Where does this clown get the idea that we want to get him alive? I would much rather see us get him dead, and all his home boys too.
This is a country where conflict of some sort is as traditional as Thanksgiving turkey for Americans. It won't be easy.
It's is good that the Taliban appear to be on the back foot. However meanwhile, back in New Jersey............
Hey, in one ear and gone tomorrow.
The question that interests me, however, is which military is going to march into Kabul to take control in the UN's name? It's got to be someone prepared to move very soon, since it appears Kabul is about to fall. Pakistan is real close and real muslim.
Desirable, certainly, but the main mission is to humiliate and destroy the Taliban. That work is almost done.
"What're you gonna do, bleed on me?
"Do ya feel lucky, punk"?
Shudda worked.
Suits me.
Combined arms: Artillery and mass bombing tear up any concentrations. When they disperse and render the bombing less effective, ground-forces rip em up. If the re-group, air/artillery will smash them again. As long as they have an army, they're hosed. Guerilla warfare is their option...but that's why locals are so important in this. We can't discern the difference well, and determin who belongs and who doesn't. The locals will figure that out, and hopefully they'll deal with the small-scale stuff.
I didn't know Dominos was collapsing!? Darn! And I liked their pizza!
I presume you mean "anti-Taliban."
...you must take advantage of momentum in war... What difference does "momentum" make if your enemies are all dead, wounded, or otherwise hors de combat?
This isn't like fighting a force with equal size and equal capabilities. Despite the bellyaching of sh*theads in the media like Peter Jennings, we have been PLASTERING the Taliban AND al-Qaeda since October 7. They are effectively through as a fighting force.
That's why we heard Mazar-e-sharif fell a couple of days ago, and now we learn the N.A. are knocking on Kabul's door. There is virtually nothing left of the opposition.
But ANYONE who trusts any of these warlords, whether Taliban or Northern Alliance or what-have-you, isn't clear about what the situation is over there.
ALL these people are thugs. Once they've got Kabul, you're not going to get 'em out of there unless you blast 'em out. And they will welcome anyone in with open arms who wants to give them money or other considerations, once they've consolidated their power. That's how we got here in the first place.
Lets take a look now. Weve dropped about 9,000 bombs and missiles on the Taliban. We wiped out their SAM sites, air power, communications infrastructure and supply depots. Weve been striking their armored vehicles with pinpoint precision and carpet bombing their troop concentrations. And, weve lost how many men? How many planes? None! Does this sound like a quagmire? Were kicking serious a$$, just like GW said we would. This is truly one of Americas finest hours. Its time for back-seat critics like McCain and Biden to shut-up and get with the program. Bush has a fantastic team and theyre doing a stellar job - both militarily and diplomatically. If Bush says the NA should not enter Kabul, then - THE NA SHALL NOT ENTER KABUL! America is calling the shots. It is our planes and our men that have allowed the NA out of their caves and foxholes to advance on the Taliban and the NA had better listen our plan if they want to play a role in the Afghan government when the shooting stops.
Yep brilliant strategy. Let yourself be bombed senseless, give up a great deal of territory in the face of attack, and leave in a disorganized panic. Yep smart guys.
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