Taliban insurgency

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Taliban insurgency
partof=the War in Afghanistan (2001–present),
Civil War in Afghanistan
date=2002– present


caption=Mullah Dadullah firing a PK.
place=Southern Afghanistan
result=Conflict ongoing
combatant1=flag|United States,
flag|Canada,
,
flagicon|Afghanistan Afghan National Army
combatant2=flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban Taliban,

commander1=flagicon|US William J. Fallon,
Dan McNeill,
Egon Ramms,
Ton van Loon,
flagicon|Canada Guy Laroche,
Flagicon|Afghanistan Bismillah Khan Mohammadi,
flagicon|Afghanistan Hamid Karzai,
flagicon|Afghanistan|1992 Mohammed Fahim,
flagicon|Afghanistan|1992 Abdul Rashid Dostum
commander2=flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban Mohammed Omar,
flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban Obaidullah AkhundPOW,
flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban Mullah Dadullah†,
flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban Jalaluddin Haqqani†,

strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=Coalition casualties: 749 killed, 3,000 wounded [http://www.icasualties.org/oef/] .
Afghan security forces casualties: 5800 killed, 725 captured.
casualties2=30,000+ killed, 36,000+ captured (est.)Fact|date=September 2008
notes= The Taliban insurgency took root shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban continue to attack Canadian, Afghan, ISAF and U.S. army troops and many terrorist incidents attributable to them have been registered. Al-Qaeda is closely associated with their activity. The war has also spread to Pakistan, in particular the Waziristan War. The Taliban conduct low-intensity warfare against the Afghan National Army and coalition forces.

After the invasion

After evading U.S. forces throughout the summer of 2002, the remnants of the Taliban gradually began to regain their confidence and launched the insurgency that Mullah Mohammed Omar had promised during the Taliban's last days in power. During September 2002, Taliban forces began a recruitment drive in Pashtun areas in both Afghanistan and Pakistan to launch a renewed "jihad" or holy war against the Afghan government and the U.S-led coalition. Pamphlets distributed in secret during the night also began to appear in many villages in the former Taliban heartland in southeastern Afghanistan. Small mobile training camps were established along the border with Pakistan by al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives to train new recruits in guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics, according to Afghan sources and a United Nations report. Most of the new recruits were drawn from the madrassas or religious schools of the tribal areas of Pakistan, from which the Taliban had originally arisen. Major bases, a few with as many as 200 men, were created in the mountainous tribal areas of Pakistan by the summer of 2003. The will of the Pakistani paramilitaries stationed at border crossings to prevent such infiltration was called into question, and Pakistani military operations proved of little use.

Make-up of the Taliban

There are many players now in Afghanistan that are operating against the NATO coalition forces. In the general media term they are all considered Taliban. However, there are two kinds of Taliban in existence today, the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban. The U.S military commanders call the Afghan Taliban Big T and they call the Pakistani Taliban Little T. The Afghan Taliban's main goal is to remove the foreign forces and their backed government from Afghanistan. Their leadership councils are intact and they operate in almost all parts of the Afghanistan in one form or the other. The Taliban control most of the country side from Herat Northwestern Afghanistan to Qandahar (southern Afghanistan) to Kunar (Northeastern Afghanistan). Taliban have also started operations in the North ern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, so their reach is quiet extensive. The Afghan Taliban are very organized, they are sometimes considered the most organized force in Afghanistan. Taliban also have command structure and discipline that were never seen before and those qualities combined makes them very effective. The recent commando style operation in Qandahar (which freed 1100 prisoners) is a proof of their effectiveness.

The Pakistani Taliban's main goals are unclear. The Pakistani Taliban do cross border to Afghanistan to fight NATO forces but their main concern seem to be in Pakistani tribal areas. There is also the Hezbi-Islami militia which operates in Northeastern Afghanistan.

Financial support

While the pre-2001 Taliban suppressed opium production, the current insurgency "relies on opium revenues to purchase weapons, train its members, and buy support." In 2001, Afghanistan produced only 11% of the world’s opium, today it produces 93% of the global crop, and the drug trade accounts for half of Afghanistan's GDP. [ [http://www.riazhaq.com/2008/07/taliban-insurgency-funded-by-poppy-and.html July 27, 2008. Taliban Insurgency Funded by Poppy and Marble ] ]

Timeline

The Taliban gradually reorganized and reconstituted their forces over the winter 2002-2003, preparing for a summer offensive in 2003. They established a new mode of operation, gathering into groups of around 50 to launch attacks on isolated outposts and convoys of Afghan soldiers, police, or militia and then breaking up into groups of 5-10 men to evade subsequent offensives. U.S. forces in the strategy were attacked indirectly, through rocket attacks on bases and improvised mines planted in the roadside. To coordinate the strategy, Mullah Omar named a 10-man leadership council for the resistance, with himself at the head. Five operational zones were created, assigned to various Taliban commanders such as the key Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah, in charge of Zabul province operations. Al-Qaeda forces in the east had a bolder strategy of concentrating on the Americans and catching them when they could with elaborate ambushes.

The first sign that Taliban forces were regrouping came on January 28 2003, when a band of 80 fighters allied with the Taliban and Hezb-i-Islami were discovered and assaulted by U.S. forces at the Adi Ghar cave complex 15 miles (24 km) north of Spin Boldak. [ cite news |title=Coalition warplanes bomb Afghan caves after ambush |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/11/1044927601223.html |work= Sydney Morning Herald |date= 2003-02-12 |accessdate=2008-06-20 ] 18 rebels were reported killed and no U.S. casualties reported. The site was suspected to be a base to funnel supplies and fighters from Pakistan. The first isolated attacks by relatively large Taliban bands on Afghan targets also appeared around that time.

As the summer of 2003 continued, the attacks gradually increased in frequency in the "Taliban heartland." Dozens of Afghan National Army soldiers, non-governmental organization and humanitarian workers, and several U.S. soldiers died in the raids, ambushes, and rocket attacks. In addition to the guerrilla attacks, Taliban fighters began building up their forces in the district of Dai Chopan, a district in Zabul province that also straddles Kandahar and Uruzgan and is at the very center of the Taliban heartland. Dai Chopan district is a remote and sparsely populated corner of southeastern Afghanistan composed of towering, rocky mountains interspersed with narrow gorges. Taliban fighters decided it would be the perfect area to make a stand against the Afghan government and the coalition forces. Over the course of summer 2003 up to 1,000 guerrillas regrouped in the area, perhaps the largest concentration of Taliban militants since the fall of the regime. As Taliban fighters gained strength, over 220 people, including several dozen Afghan police, were killed in August 2003. The U.S. military is currently sustaining approximately one death and four wounded per week in Afghanistan.

Coalition response

As a result, coalition forces have begun preparing offensives to root out the rebel forces. In late 2005, Afghan government forces backed by U.S troops and heavy American aerial bombardment advanced upon Taliban positions within the mountain fortress. After a one-week battle, Taliban forces were routed with up to 124 fighters (according to Afghan government estimates) killed. Taliban spokesmen, however, denied the high casualty figure and U.S estimates were somewhat lower. By the first week of September, however, Taliban forces had been scattered from their base at Dai-Chopan. The operation (Operation Mountain Thrust) was launched on June 13, 2006 with the purposes of rooting out Taliban forces [http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/060614/w061454.html] , later followed by Operation Medusa which started at the weekend of 2 and 3 September.

British commanders in Helmand have described the ongoing violence in the province to be the most intense level of fighting the British army has seen since the Korean war. Long and brutal firefights are a daily occurrence, so much so that over the summer extra men, armoured vehicles and Chinook helicopters were promised to reinforce the troops in theatre.

2006 Escalation

Since the start of 2006 Afghanistan has been facing a wave of attacks by improvised explosives and suicide bombers, particularly after NATO took command of the fight against insurgents in spring 2006. [http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/article_1209201.php/Two_journalists_NATO_soldier_killed_in_Afghanistan]

Afghan President Hamid Karzai publicly condemned the methods of western powers who worked to place him in power. In June 2006 he said:

And for two years I have systematically, consistently and on a daily basis warned the international community of what was developing in Afghanistan and of the need for a change of approach in this regard.

and

The international community [must] reassess the manner in which this war against terror is conducted

Insurgents were also criticized for their conduct. According to Human Rights Watch, bombing and other attacks on Afghan civilians by the Taliban (and to a lesser extent Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin), are reported to have "sharply escalated in 2006" with "at least 669 Afghan civilians were killed in at least 350 armed attacks, most of which appear to have been intentionally launched at civilians or civilian objects." [ [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/04/16/afghan15688.htm Human Rights News, Afghanistan: Civilians Bear Cost of Escalating Insurgent Attacks] ] [ [http://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/afghanistan0407/ The Consequences of Insurgent Attacks in Afghanistan ] April 2007 Volume 19, No. 6(C) ] 131 of insurgent attacks were suicide attacks which killed 212 civilians (732 wounded), 46 Afghan army and police members (101 wounded), and 12 foreign soldiers (63 wounded). [ [http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=165055 Afghanistan`s record of suicide attacks in 2006] Paktribune.com quoting "A well-calculated survey by Pajhwok Afghan News", accessed 1-Feb-2008]

Before the summer 2006 offensive began indications existed that the NATO led International Security Assistance Force peacekeepers had lost influence and power to other groups, including potentially the Taliban. In May there were riots after a street accident in the city of Kabul.

The continued support from tribes and others in Pakistan, the drug trade, the failure to produce a true central government and the small number of NATO troops, combined with the long history of resistance and isolation, all lead to the conclusion that even if not gaining power, post-Taliban forces and leaders are surviving and will play a significant role in Afghanistan into the future.Fact|date=February 2007

2007

The Taliban continue to favor suicide bombing as a tactic. In 2007 Afghanistan saw more 140 suicide bombings - more than in the past five years combined - that killed more than 300 people, many civilians. [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/81601 AFGHANISTAN, Alone, Afraid, In the Company of Men Dreaming of Death] accessed 1-February 2008] A United Nations report said the perpetrators were poorly educated, disaffected young men who were recruited by Taliban leaders in Pakistani madrassas. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/world/asia/09afghan.html Afghan Suicide Attacks Rising, Report Shows - New York Times ] ]

Western analysts estimated that the Taliban can field about 10,000 fighters at any given time, according to an October 30 report in The New York Times. Of that number, "only 2,000 to 3,000 are highly motivated, full-time insurgents", the "Times" reported. The rest are part-timers, made up of alienated, young Afghan men angry at bombing raids or fighting in order to get money. In 2007, more foreign fighters were showing up in Afghanistan than ever before, according to Afghan and United States officials. An estimated 100 to 300 full-time combatants are foreigners, usually from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Chechnya, various Arab countries and perhaps even Turkey and western China. They tend to be more fanatical and violent, and they often bring skills such as the ability to post more sophisticated videos on the Internet or bombmaking expertise. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/world/asia/30afghan.html?n=Top/News/World/Countries%20and%20Territories/Pakistan] Rohde, David, "Foreign Fighters of Harsher Bent Bolster Taliban", "The New York Times", October 30, 2007, accessed November 9, 2007] It has also been reported that the Taliban now control up to 56% of Afghanistan. Fact|date=February 2008

In April 2007, Karzai admitted that he spoke to the Taliban to bring about peace in Afghanistan. [ [http://washingtontimes.com/world/20070406-103237-9241r.htm Washington Times - Karzai admits meeting Taliban in peace talks ] ] He noted that the Afghan Taliban are "always welcome" in Afghanistan, although foreign militants are not. [ [http://www.voanews.com/English/2007-04-06-voa51.cfm Afghan President Admits to Meetings With Taleban ] ] On April 15 2007 the Afghan Government promised to end all hostage deals with the Taliban after two Afghan kidnapped victims were executed in an agreement to free an Italian journalist. [ [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticleprint/2007/04/437947d8-d21c-4990-b165-dc78f63e5f95.html Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty ] ]

* February 27 - 2007 Bagram Air Base bombing

On May 12, Mullah Dadullah, a senior Taliban commander in charge of operations in the south of the country was killed in Helmand province, in what is seen as a great moral victory, although its effects on the tactical organization of the Taliban have yet to be seen.

2008

The U.S. warned that in 2008 the Taliban has "coalesced into a resilient insurgency", and would "maintain or even increase the scope and pace of its terrorist attacks".cite news|publisher=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7478513.stm|title=Taleban 'to boost Afghan attacks'|date=2008-06-27] Attacks by Taleban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan increased by 40% when compared to the same period in 2007.

See also

* Global Islamic Insurgency
* Afghan National Army
* Taliban
* Afghanistan War order of battle
* ISAF
* Britain's role in the 2001-present Afghan war
* Civilian casualties of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
* Coalition casualties in Afghanistan
* List of Coalition aircraft crashes in Afghanistan
* British forces casualties in Afghanistan
* Canadian Forces casualties in Afghanistan
* Islamic Emirate of Waziristan
* Foreign hostages in Afghanistan

References

External links

* [http://www.sfu.ca/casr/ft-isaf-armour3.htm Assessing the Threats to CF Leopard Tanks in Afghanistan] : possible antitank weapons of the Taliban
* [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HC15Df03.html Asia Times Online on spring offensive]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2092461,00.html Times Online on the British mission in Afghanistan]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Afghanistan/story/0,,1841751,00.html Guardian Unlimited article - British Lieutenant General calling the situation the worst low-level dirty fighting since the Korean War]
* [http://www.athenaintelligence.org/index2.html Athena Intelligence] Advanced Research Network on Insurgency and Terrorism