Posted on 08/30/2003 11:16:33 AM PDT by blam
Taliban surrounded as Afghan clashes go on
August 30 2003 at 02:06PM
By Yousuf Azimy
Kabul - Afghan and American-led special forces have surrounded a group of Taliban fighters in the southern province of Zabul after another day of persistent bombardment of rebel positions, a senior official said on Saturday.
As the operation to hunt down hundreds of guerrillas from the ousted Islamic regime entered its sixth day, provincial intelligence chief Khalil Hotak told reporters at least 12 rebels had been killed in Friday's action, and eight captured.
"The operation is ongoing," he said from Zabul.
"Enemy forces are surrounded between Tangi Larzab and Chinaran," he added, referring to locations in the Dai Chopan district of Zabul province where fighting has concentrated.
Afghan officials claim well over 100 Taliban losses during the week, many of them killed by United States and allied fighter jets and attack helicopters which have been called in daily to support Afghan troops and US special forces on the ground.
US military spokesperson Colonel Rodney Davis told reporters in Kabul that at least 33 rebels had been killed in the first three days of fighting this week.
He said clashes, which at times were "intense", were continuing on Saturday.
"I would not characterise every day, every moment as intense, but there are times during engagements where I would certainly say the situation is tense," Davis said.
The group of up to 1 000 Taliban fighters is the largest concentration of militants seen since the regime fell in 2001.
The fighting extends a bloody few weeks in Afghanistan, where bomb attacks, raids on government forces and factional clashes have claimed dozens of lives and undermined stability, particularly in the south and east of the country.
The Taliban has declared a "jihad", or holy war, against foreign troops and their allies in Afghanistan. US-backed President Hamid Karzai says many of the rebels are crossing with impunity from neighbouring Pakistan.
Pakistan says it is doing what it can to stem the flow of militants after it withdrew support for the Taliban in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. It has rounded up hundreds of Taliban and al Qaeda suspects.
Hotak said eight Taliban had been taken prisoner during the last 24 hours. He said that there were Arabs and Pakistanis fighting with the Taliban, but not among those captured.
A US special operations soldier died on Friday of injuries sustained during operations in Zabul, and two more soldiers with US-led forces have been injured in the fighting. A handful of Afghan troops have been reported wounded.
The US military contributes about 10 000 troops to the 12 500-strong force hunting remnants of the Taliban and the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden it once sheltered.
Ain't that a shocker? /sarcasm
Same thing in Iraq!!
Bring em on!!
I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing how that thing works. Have all the good guys back off about 10 miles, and lay one in there. Bet ya that would take the wind out of their sails.
Yup. I recall 2-3 different 'surroundings' that petered-out.
Keep in mind that some of these loonies considered Saddam a military genuis, 'nuff-said.
LOL. I love that. You have a gift.
Gee, if you've had the inside scoop all this time, why don't you rush over to CIA and let them in on it. I think there might even be a reward for such hot info.
LOL, that's rich.
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