Posted on 10/13/2004 11:15:34 PM PDT by kattracks
President Bush's three-year-old strategy of fighting a multifront war on terror is stretching enemy forces thin and reducing their ability to mount attacks in Afghanistan, said U.S. officials and independent authorities.
Much of the debate in the United States has centered on U.S. forces being stressed in the global war. But military analysts are pointing to Afghanistan's near-violence-free elections on Saturday as an example of enemy forces being depleted to the point where they cannot sustain attacks. The analysts also say some of the thousands of terrorists trained in Osama bin Laden's Afghan camps have gone to fight in other areas, such as Iraq, further stretching their capabilities.
"The terrorists are being used up, and they're losing hundreds a day in many cases," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney, a military analyst. "The administration has a low profile on that. But [the terrorists] are suffering severe casualties. That's why there was success in Afghanistan, Samara, and now you have negotiations in Fallujah and Ramadi." The Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi are run, in part, by militants.
"The fact is the summer offensive we conducted that has been going on for the last six months has had a significant impact on terrorists trying to organize attacks that could have come about during the election," Gen. McInerney said. "There's just no question about it."
Robert Andrews, a former Green Beret and CIA analyst who advises the Pentagon on war issues, said he suspects "the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan are getting thinned out."
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Good news bump.
Somebody quick get Kerry's comment on this article... Good news for America is Bad news for John Kerry...
There are fronts on terror on either side of Iraq that can be efficiently dealt with once Iraq is mollified with the benefits of Democracy.
Great story!
"The problem, as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has said, is that it is difficult to develop "metrics" that tell whether the enemy is replacing troops as fast as the United States kills them."
The quality of the replacement is of huge importance also. Look at the hugely lopsided battles the marines and others have engaged in recently.
Hey maybe we can get Rather to do a scoop on this.
Whoops what am I thinking, this is good news for Bush. He would probably curl up into the fetal position if he had to do a good news story about GW.
Don't imagine any of his cronies will touch it either.
No real surprise here, but still very nice to see spelled out in detail and featured on the Wash Times' front page.
Pingaroo
An earlier one from the Washington Post:Insurgent Alliance Is Fraying In Fallujah
Ya sow what ya reap.
Good news Bump!
The analysts also say some of the thousands of terrorists trained in Osama bin Laden's Afghan camps have gone to fight in other areas, such as Iraq, further stretching their capabilities.Heh heh... after the last of them are captured, they should be put on trial for crimes against humanity, found guilty, and then have their capabilities stretched by those nooses around their necks.
George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent
Election 2004 threads on FR
Yes, stretch their reasoning capability all the ways to their toes.....
Wow! This would have been an awesome response to Kerry's comment about Bush moving the troops from the hunt for Osama Bin Inhell to Iraq. If we're stretched as you say, so are they.
Iraq militants to form united front, rein in Zarqawi: report
They really are starting to fight among themselves!
See above linked article.
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