Posted on 08/26/2002 12:51:51 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
NARIZAH, Afghanistan, Aug 26, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Flying huge American flags atop their Humvees, U.S. Army Special Forces swept through villages in southeastern Afghanistan last week in search of al-Qaida and Taliban.
In most cases, however, the people and weapons the troops expected to find were gone, leading them to suspect that Operation Mountain Sweep, which ended Sunday, had been compromised by security leaks.
"I wouldn't say it wasn't successful," said Sgt. 1st Class Dwight Smith, a special operations soldier. "It's been going OK. We've recovered some caches. But it could be better."
More than 2,000 coalition troops, including U.S. special forces, paratroopers and civil affairs specialists, took part in the eight-day operation in the rugged mountain terrain along the border with Pakistan.
They found a ton of weapons, two caches of Taliban documents and took 10 people into custody. But main force al-Qaida and Taliban units were nowhere to be found.
Instead, they turned up cooperative village leaders and curious children - even though intelligence reports said the area is rife with Taliban and al-Qaida sympathizers, some of them masters of guerrilla warfare learned fighting the Soviets in the 1980s.
Maj. Craig Osborne, an operations officer, suspects the enemy knew the Americans were coming.
"I have no firsthand knowledge of that but there is some speculation of that," he said.
The operations around Narizah, a mud-hut village in Khost province less than 6 miles from the Pakistan border, were typical and underscored the frustrations of U.S. soldiers.
U.S. intelligence had reported an unusually large number of vehicles and armed men around the village. As paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division set up a security cordon around the area, troops from the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group-Airborne approached the village.
Dozens of Afghan men and boys stared as Humvees and trucks rolled into the center of the village. Chickens scurried across the narrow streets; nervous goats pulled at the ropes tying them to the mud-brick walls.
Respectful of local customs, the Americans waited in the village center for the village elders. The soldiers told them they suspected there were weapons in the village and asked that Afghan militiamen be allowed to search. The Americans said they would wait until the women could be isolated from foreign eyes.
Village leaders withdrew to consult and then gave their approval. After searching each house, the Afghan fighters told the Americans what they had found. The Americans then went inside themselves, surveying the weapons and confiscating most of them, leaving one Kalashnikov rifle per household. They looked in buckets, under mattresses, in bales of hay, even in toilets.
One Afghan man told soldiers there was nothing in his house but a couple of guns. However, the militiamen emerged with 12 rocket-propelled grenades, one grenade launcher and Kalashnikov ammunition.
An angry American confronted the man. "Are you Taliban? Are you al-Qaida? Why are you lying to me?" he shouted. "How can we trust you when you lie?" The unabashed villager insisted he had given up the entire cache. Nearby, a woman was heard crying behind the wall as soldiers searched her home.
"You can search my house any time," another man said. "But please bring the person who told you I had something so I can confront him." Civilians have often complained that unscrupulous Afghans report them to the Americans as Taliban sympathizers to settle old grudges or steal property.
As the searches continued, U.S. Army Apache attack helicopters flew overheard. Special forces soldiers reminded villagers that more American troops were close by, ready to respond if there was trouble.
Although the troops found little at Narizah, they believed their intelligence was correct and the village was an al-Qaida and Taliban stronghold. The Americans had lost the element of surprise. Some suspected the enemy heard helicopters dropping troops in the area the night before the raid.
"We've done a lot of aircraft traffic in this area, and I think they knew we were probably coming eventually," Master Sgt. Curtis Curry said. "I really didn't expect to find a whole lot. And that's what we found."
At Bagram air base, the U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan, military spokesman Col. Roger King insisted nevertheless that Operation Mountain Sweep was a success.
"It met the objectives in that the presence in the area confirmed some intelligence that we had," King said Monday. "As always, by our very presence there, we were able to provide some stability."
By WALLY SANTANA Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
Cool. So when does the ATF impliment the same policy, leaving one AK 47 per household?
By the way, welcome to Pashtoonistan.
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