Last Friday, U.S., British, and Afghani forces started chipping away at the new Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala (see Bill Roggio’s coverage here). The battle has turned into a real bar fight, though–after a three days of intense combat–it’s looking like the bad guys are starting to knuckle under.
THOUSANDS of NATO and Afghan troops were last night engaged in “fierce fighting” to take the last remaining major town controlled by the Taleban in Afghanistan. The three-pronged attack on Musa Qala, a key strategic town in the heart of Helmand province’s poppy belt, is the biggest UK operation in Afghanistan since 2001 with about 2,000 British troops involved, including elements of the Scots Guards. A battalion of US airborne infantry, a Danish battlegroup, Estonian and Afghan troops were also taking part, under the command of Scots Brigadier Andrew Mackay. The NATO-Afghan forces have encircled Musa Qala which has been turned into a fortress by Taleban fighters who have been digging in to resist the expected assault since they took control in February. A network of trenches, landmines, machinegun nests and sniper positions has been created in the town, which has been used by al-Qaeda terrorists and other foreign fighters as a base to launch suicide attacks and ambushes on international forces. Dozens of Taleban were reported to have been killed as the American 82nd Airborne Division pushed into the town. The British forces spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Eaton said: “This is a deliberate defence. The Americans encountered small-arms and rifle fire from prepared positions.” He added the operation would carry on after nightfall, saying: “We own the night. We will continue to advance.”
Danish, Estonian, and Afghani troops, all fighting under the banner of the Scots Guards. Strange little war, Afghanistan. And although this sounds messy:
A network of trenches, landmines, machinegun nests and sniper positions has been created in the town, which has been used by al-Qaeda terrorists and other foreign fighters as a base to launch suicide attacks and ambushes on international forces.
. . . the wisdom of George S. Patton rings eternal: “Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man. . . . “ That’s particularly true when precision guided munitions are part of the equation.
