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NATO military commanders have warned they
need at least another 2,500 soldiers on the ground in southern Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.
Taliban more dangerous now than al Qaeda:
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf warned the West on Tuesday that
Taliban insurgents were a more dangerous terrorist force than al Qaeda because of the broad support they have in Afghanistan.
Five years after the 9/11 attacks on the United States masterminded by al Qaeda and the subsequent U.S. invasion
of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban, Musharraf said Taliban fighters had regrouped in southern Afghanistan.
"The center of gravity of terrorism has shifted from al Qaeda to the Taliban," he told EU lawmakers who quizzed
Musharraf on Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts.
 "This is a new element, a more dangerous element, because it (the Taliban) has its roots in the people. Al Qaeda didn't have
roots in the people," he said.
U.S.- 9/11
Five Years In, Bush Is Losing Terror War
Analysis by Jim
Lobe
WASHINGTON, Sep 8 (IPS) - To consider whether U.S. President George W.
Bush is winning his "global war on terror" (GWOT) five years after al Qaeda's devastating 9/11 attacks on New York and the
Pentagon, one has only to look at the news of the past few days.
In Afghanistan, where the war began, NATO and U.S. forces are struggling to cope with a resurgent Taliban
whose guerrillas have killed some two dozen western troops, including two U.S. soldiers in a suicide bombing in Kabul Friday,
since Sep. 1.
NATO's U.S. commander, Gen. James L. Jones,  admitted Thursday that the alliance was going through a "difficult period" and needs as many as 2,500 more troops, as well
as additional aircraft, to bolster ongoing operations in southern Afghanistan, significant parts of which have reportedly
fallen under the effective -- if not yet permanent -- control of the Taliban.
As of Thursday, October 2, 2006, at least
335 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. Of
those, the military reports 175 were killed by hostile action.
Outside the Afghan region, the Defense
Department reports 56 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, two are the
result of hostile action.
After 5 years the hunt and dying still continues
"Well I don't think it's patriotic to stand by and remain silent while your country stumbles
into disaster."
CHAS FREEMAN
HEADLINES & QUOTES
"We have used B1 bombers, Harriers, F16s and Mirage 2000s.
We have dropped 500lb, 1,000lb and even 2,000lb bombs. At one point our Apaches [helicopter gunships] ran out of missiles
they have fired so many.
"We are flattening places we have already flattened, but the attacks have kept coming. We have killed them
by the dozens, but more keep coming, either locally or from across the border
Almost any movement on the ground gets ambushed. We need an entire battle group to move
things. Yet they will not give us the helicopters we have been asking for
We did not expect the ferocity of the engagements. We also expected the Taliban
to carry out hit and run raids. Instead we have often been fighting toe to toe, endless close-quarters combat. It has been
exhausting
"Lt Gen Richards
"We’re going to have to refight Enduring
Freedom because we didn’t finish the job," predicts retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former head of U.S. Central Command.
"I would think that it would be a mistake to say that the al Qaeda is finished in Afghanistan at this
stage,"
Donald Rumsfeld
Afghan war more risky than Iraq
Canadian soldiers are six times more likely to be killed, study finds; Researchers also
find our troops at greatest risk to die over all allies
The Taleban are increasingly employing
bolder, more violent tactics and they're operating in larger units
International forces in Afghanistan are facing mounting
security problems. The Taleban - ousted from Kabul in the 2001 US-led invasion - have regrouped over the last couple of years,
and are now a resurgent force in the south and east of the country.
Scores die in Afghan fighting
Experts fear 'endless' terror war
Analysts say al-Qaida is mutating into a global insurgency
NATO kill 94 Taliban amid worsening violence
Provincial governor killed in suicide bombing;
militants raid police station
It has been a bloody six weeks since the Nato-led force
in Afghanistan took control in the south of the country, and now it seems its call for more support is falling on deaf ears.
Hundreds of people have died
in southern Afghanistan over the past few weeks and President Hamid Karzai is starting to feel the strain.
There has been a huge increase in violent attacks
in Afghanistan in recent months, particularly in the south where Nato forces are helping the Afghan government to extend its
authority.
LONDON - The Taliban have regained control over the southern half of Afghanistan
and their frontline is advancing daily, a group closely monitoring the Afghan situation said in a report Tuesday.
AFGHANISTAN: 'Taliban Taking Over'
U.S.: Attacks Along Afghan-Pakistan Border Increased After Truce
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A U.S. military
official said Wednesday that American troops on Afghanistan's eastern border have seen a threefold increase in attacks since
a recent truce between Pakistani troops and pro-Taliban tribesmen that was supposed to have stopped cross-border
raids by the militants.
To defeat terrorism we must think beyond bureaucratic reform and even beyond
military force. What we need is a new global strategy
On 7 October,2001 the Taliban controlled more than 80%
of Afghanistan, and Anti-Taliban forces were on the defensive. Al Qaida was entrenched in camps and safe houses throughout
the country. Afghanistan was, in fact, a terrorist sponsored state.
By October 20, 2001 US and Coalition forces had destroyed
virtually all Taliban air defenses By mid-March 2002, the Taliban had been removed from power and the Al Qaida network in
Afghanistan had been destroyed.
The Taliban, once destroyed, are now back
and bad as ever, if not worst.What was once a complete sucess is now a horrible diaster.As in Iraq there was not much thought
given to what's next and as a result more troops and innocent civilians are paying the price.Operation Enduring Freedom quickly
ousted the government of the hardline Taliban movement and scattered the al-Qaida fighters and leaders it had harbored.Still,
the Taliban has regrouped and sustained an insurgency across the south and east of the country, which was supported also by
foreign fighters.
With the failure to capture Bin Laden and
the transfer of almost 5,000 of the 19,000 original forces to Iraq the Taliban were allowed to train and resupply themselves.Now,
almost five  years later, the War on Terror is raging more then ever.Our newspapers barely mention Afghanistan as does the radio's and
tv's.The Bush administration is mum on the subject just as our Senators and Congressmen.But there is a war there and American
men and women are dying there and living in the Hell of War...What news does come out of Afghanistan is just like in Iraq...it
may be another day but it's the same news...kiddnapping....car bombs...beheadings....needless slaughter...
As the war between the Taliban and the
opposition United Front continues, peace seems ever more remote. Human rights violations are widespread and systematic. Thousands
of people are arbitrarily arrested, most tortured or ill-treated. Thousands more have been systematically killed or disappeared.
The Taliban continue to push their extremist version of Islamic law on the population, leaving thousands of women virtual
prisoners in their homes. Amputations, executions and floggings have been recorded against purported "criminals".
Coalition in Afghanistan dropped the ball
after toppling Taliban in 2001
NATO general says
"The Taliban were defeated. ... And it looked all pretty hunky-dory," General David Richards
WASHINGTON – The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan
failed to follow through as it should have after ousting the Taliban government in 2001, setting the stage for this year's
deadly resurgence, the NATO  commander in the country said Tuesday.
The mistake consisted of adopting "a peacetime
approach" too early, British Gen. David Richards told Pentagon reporters. He said the international community has six months
to correct the problem before losing Afghan support, reiterating a warning he issued last week.
Foreign militants with links to al-Qaeda - some believed to have experience in Iraq -
are trying to encourage Afghan insurgents to adopt more Iraq-style tactics against US forces
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect
them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, our
Lord and Savior. Amen."
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