Posted on 12/15/2009 11:43:11 PM PST by Nachum
Under the shift in strategy, the teams now focus on targeting key Taliban figures rather than mainly hunting Al Qaeda leaders and have increased the number of raids they conduct, officials say.
Reporting from Washington - The U.S. military command has quietly shifted and intensified the mission of clandestine special operations forces in Afghanistan, senior officials said, targeting key figures within the Taliban, rather than almost exclusively hunting Al Qaeda leaders.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Odinga has increased troops in the Middle East and added a second Gitmo.
Oh yeah and started a a campaign of predator strikes in Pakistan.
Where’s the peacnik press?
If Odinga batted kittens in a sack, PETA would give him an award.
...because he is ...
“senior officials said, targeting key figures within the Taliban, rather than almost exclusively hunting Al Qaeda leaders.”
Am I missing something here? Isn’t it usual for leaders to be key figures of any organization?
The Taliban and al Qaeda are two different groups. They cooperate but the leadership is different.
So goes the conventional wisdom.
Good article!
Stan the Man has been in SOF most of his career. From his interviews, I’d say that he has an intrinsic understanding of SOF and it’s role in this type of conflict.
Yes, the Taliban And al Qaeda are different organizations, but AQ isn’t able to exist without a larger, friendly organization to operate with.
This is a variation on the fish/sea analogy from Sun Tzu which Mao repeated in his manuals.
Per Opsec, there is much unsaid in this article.
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