Posted on 05/05/2002 5:55:26 PM PDT by Pokey78
With British Forces in South-East Afghanistan
AL-QAEDA and Taleban forces have been devastated to the extent that they cannot take on coalition forces in Afghanistan any more, the commander of the Royal Marines said yesterday.
Brigadier Roger Lane flew up into the mountains to see for himself progress of the British-led Operation Snipe, that has up to 1,000 men sweeping through a mountain range in southeast Afghanistan.
It was clear that the American Operation Anaconda in early March, which featured heavy aerial bombing in the same area, had dealt the enemy a heavy blow, he said.
“I do not think we fully appreciated how devastating Anaconda was. I do not think the enemy is going to try to attack and take on the strongest military power in the Western world,” he said, as he climbed down from an RAF Chinook helicopter.
One week into their operation in a mountain range in south-east Afghanistan, the Royal Marines have yet to encounter any al-Qaeda or Taleban.
They have discovered some caves and defensive positions, and seized several thousand rounds of rifle ammunition, but they have encountered no opposition.
Men of 29 Commando of the Royal Artillery, who have set up six howitzers on the south-west corner of the operational area to back up the men on the ground, were doubtful of seeing any action.
“It’s pretty quiet. It’s disappointing. It’s what you train for and you come out for,” said Sergeant Darren Hughes, 30, in charge of one of the two-ton howitzers lying silent under a desert camouflage canopy.
“We are a couple of months too late. They’ve done a runner,” said one of the gunners.
“I think there are Taleban or al-Qaeda out there, but not a main force of them. It’s going to take a time to find them,” said Bombardier Johnny Hague, 35. “I think a lot have gone to Pakistan and when we go they’ll come back.”
But the brigadier said that the operation was still only at the preliminary stage and it was possible there were still some al-Qaeda or Taleban in the area. The Marines were closing in on two key mountains where they suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban may still be holding out, he said. “There has been some intelligence that it is an area we should go into,” he said.
The operation appears to involve encircling a large mountainous area where US troops ran into trouble in March, losing eight special forces men and suffering more than 100 casualties. The steep and rocky valleys that run east through the range towards the border with Pakistan have trails, used by the Mujahidin during their guerrilla war against the Soviet army, and more recently by the Taleban as they retreated from Kabul last November.
The hillsides are littered with rusty chunks of shrapnel, possibly from Soviet era bombs, and there are signs of more recent battles, where shrapnel has torn into the stubby trees and shattered rocks. American military-issue meals and mineral water bottles remain abandoned in heaps, presumably dropped for US troops in March.
The men on this hilltop, who work two-hour shifts to scan the rocky crags and ridges have only spotted three people. Their commanders still insist the commandos have an important role in destroying any positions the enemy could return to.
“Success for me will be when I have denied him the opportunity to re-form in any kind of organised way to conduct offensive or defensive operations, and deny him a sanctuary from which he can train and then export terrorism around the world,” Brigadier Lane said. “If I don’t fire a bullet in anger and I have cleared that area, that will be a success.”
I've been hearing that for six months.
And meanwhile, Musharraf pretends he can't do a damn thing about it and the Western Media just laps it up. Disgusting. If the Pakistanis can exert such tight control over mujahideen movement in the Kashmir sector, I'm sure they can do the same on the Durand Line.
Hmmmm.....Wasn't it the Times that published article after article ridiculing the "ineffective" and "overrated" American effort in Anaconda?
Let's-hope-he's-right-bump.
No. We can't claim victory until we apologize to these victims of American oppression for forcing them into such drastic action as to fly domestic airliners into a building and kill 3,000 U. S. citizens.
Probably in the form of reparations, not to mention the dismantling of the state of Israel. < / sarcasm >
And it's still true. :)
Actually, we've been hearing that there were still pockets of al-Qaeda scattered throughout Afghanistan.
Understandably recent operations have been directed at cleaning these remaining groups out and preventing them from reorganizing.
Setback in Battle gives US a “Wake-Up Call”
How Simple Arms can humble a Superpower
Heavy US Casualties as Al-Qaeda Strikes Back
- Klingon Crewman "Day of the Dove"
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