Afstan: Main NATO spring offensive still to come

Operation Achilles is just the starting point.

...the main offensive of the spring, an operation codenamed Nawruz. This will begin when 1,400 extra British troops arrive in the country from next month to join American reinforcements of 3,200, as well as 1,000 Poles and 500 more Canadians [mistake there - MC]. There will be additional combat air support from France and six Tornado reconnaissance jets from Germany.

The blueprint for Nawruz was drawn up by General David Richards, the British former commander of the Nato force, and adopted by his American successor, General Dan K McNeill. The new British battle group - a mobile reserve Gen Richards had asked for, and been denied, during his nine months in charge - will operate well beyond Helmand, where British forces are concentrated. It will also range across the five other provinces of Nato's southern regional command: Kandahar, Oruzgan, Zabol, Nimruz and Daykondi.

At about the same time as the reinforcements arrive, a British commander, Major General "Jacko" Page, will take over the regional headquarters in Kandahar [emphasis added], the birthplace of the Taliban, from the Dutch. He will be responsible for Operation Nawruz, which is due to spread across the south and east of Afghanistan, as well as striking towards Taliban crossing points along the Pakistani border.

Much of the operation will be led by intelligence which, Nato commanders claim, has greatly improved recently. They point out that Kandahar was experiencing a suicide bombing almost every day a few months ago, but since information from local people led to the discovery of a number of "bomb factories", the attacks have all but dried up. But Taliban intelligence also appears to have improved, as shown by the recent suicide bombing at Bagram air base, near Kabul, during a visit by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Last summer the Taliban declared that it would take Kandahar, and its attempt to position a large force in the province led to months of ferocious fighting during Nato's Operation Medusa. Canadian troops, who are mainly stationed in Kandahar province, bore the brunt of the fighting. Although some of the area around Kandahar city, notably the districts of Panjwayi and Pashmul, were cleared in a follow-up mission, Bad Zuka, there are increasing reports of recent infiltration, and British commanders expect possible renewed Taliban attacks in the future...

The Brits, like us, are also not happy with some NATO members:

Britain's Nato allies who refuse to fight in Afghanistan were accused yesterday of causing "huge resentment" and a sense of betrayal among UK forces.

With four British soldiers killed within the last week, and the Taliban expected to launch a Spring offensive, senior military figures have called for Nato forces to contribute more or risk fracturing the alliance.

The 60-year-old coalition has come under pressure as countries such as Britain, America and Canada continue to shoulder the burden of the fighting, while others such as Germany and France have held their troops back...

The example of German troops not being allowed to operate at night is one of many caveats that have infuriated Britain's military leaders...