Posted on 11/01/2007 4:55:18 AM PDT by Clive
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Canadian and Afghan forces are in the midst of a key battle to secure Kandahar and to keep the Taliban from taking advantage of a perceived power vacuum just outside the city.
Arghandab district in Kandahar province, to the immediate north of Kandahar City, has seen heavy fighting over the past two days. Maj. Eric Landry, chief plans officer for Canada's Joint Task Force Afghanistan, said Wednesday evening that about 50 insurgents have been killed and 50 injured.
He wouldn't say how many Canadians are involved in the fighting, but said there are "appropriate forces" in place in Arghandab.
"This might be a vital ground for the insurgents. It's also a vital ground for us," Mr. Landry told reporters.
The Taliban thrust is a threat to the provincial capital, and is further extending Canadian Forces at a time when all of the country's designated combat troops are working in the volatile Panjwaii and Zhari districts, located to the south and west of the city. Those areas remain active fights.
The Kandahar provincial police chief reported that Afghan and NATO-led troops have surrounded up to 250 more Taliban fighters close to Kandahar.
"The rest of the Taliban are surrounded and they cannot escape or be reinforced," said Sayed Agha Saqib. Three Afghan police and one Afghan army soldier have also been killed in the fighting, he added.
Mr. Landry, meanwhile, said the Taliban are moving in groups of 10 or 15 and are trying to synchronize their actions. The major said it's "one of the most organized attacks" Canadians have seen in months. The insurgents, he said, are going for the city of Kandahar, although it is not under any current threat.
Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said insurgents had captured seven checkpoints around Arghandab and inflicted large numbers of casualties on Afghan and foreign troops. The International Security Assistance Force, however, said it had not suffered any casualties.
Clashes also broke out in the east, west and north of the country and insurgents massed in unusually large numbers in at least one other region. The apparent surge in violence comes in advance of the usual winter lull at the end of the "fighting season."
The sound of loud explosions could be heard from the small town of Arghandab and at least 20 trucks and tractors carried villagers and their belongings away from the fighting. Some of the district's 53,000 residents are heading to Kandahar City.
Until recently, Arghandab district had been relatively quiet. But two weeks ago, Mullah Naqib, the district's pro-government and pro-ISAF tribal leader, died of a heart attack.
The powerful mullah's son, who holds similar views, has now taken his place.
"The fact that Mullah Naqib is dead led the insurgents to believe that they would get more freedom of movement in the Arghandab district, but it's not the case," Mr. Landry said.
Just outside Kandahar, Arghandab cleric Noor Hamed said three or four villages have been evacuated.
"For two days people have been leaving for the city," Mr. Hamed said. "The Taliban and the government are fighting each other and the villagers are tense and worried."
Another man leaving Arghandab Wednesday said he travelled through the fighting.
"When I was leaving there were more families preparing their things to leave the area," he said. "Hundreds of families have left to come to town."
Canada has about 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, most of them in Kandahar province.
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Go Canada! Get the bad guys!
Excellent.
God, keep these Canadian soldiers safe.
The Tali-ban started this and we need to be the ones who finish it.
Apparently, this is one of the best and most organised attacks from the Taliban that we’ve seen. But our soldiers have fought off the Nazis amongst others and we will kick the Taliban’s arses back to hell.
FR WAR NEWS! and I would like to thank SandRat for the dedication to this ping list.
love this ping list and I thank you for it.
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