Taking away their options
More good news:
Does this mean Canadians won't be killed with IED's anymore? Of course not. Both ISAF and the ANSF are still fighting an uphill battle against the insurgents on this front.
But it does mean that there's a whole pile of materiel that can't be used in a bomb anymore. And it does mean that the insurgents have lost a place to make their bombs. And it does build on the confidence and experience of the Afghan soldiers and police who took part in the operation. And it does improve the standing of the ANSF and ISAF forces in the eyes of the Afghan civilians who helped point us in the right direction.
The insurgents rely so heavily upon IED's because they have no other effective tactic against us - ISAF and the consistently ANA kick their asses in stand-up fights. (The ANP is another story, but that's coming along - slowly, but it's coming.) So when we go after their bomb-making ability, we're attacking their last real military option. That's important.
The question is whether we can get to enough of the personnel and materiel to make a real difference, or whether they can replenish themselves at a greater rate than we can take out the bomb-makers and their supplies and equipment.
Regardless of that bigger question, today's a good day. Today brings us word of one important victory among the many we'll require to succeed in the overall mission.
Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers from Task Force Kandahar have successfully completed Operation ATAL 53 (SHAHI TANDAR 3).
The three-day operation, which took place from January 29-31, included Afghan National Security Forces, troops from the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, elements of 42 British Royal Marine Commandos, and 2-2 Infantry from the United States Army.
...Operation ATAL 53 (SHAHI TANDAR 3) saw a number of successes. Most notable were the discovery of a terrorist facility used to produce vehicles packed with explosives, several weapons caches, and numerous explosive devices and manufacturing equipment. These materials were destroyed so they could not be used by the enemies of Afghanistan to harm civilians or security forces in the future.
During one of the operational searches, Afghan and ISAF soldiers were led to weapons caches by Afghan civilians.
“This type of cooperation from the Afghan people is a clear indication that they are tired of the enemies of Afghanistan terrorizing the citizens of Kandahar Province,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Barrett.
Does this mean Canadians won't be killed with IED's anymore? Of course not. Both ISAF and the ANSF are still fighting an uphill battle against the insurgents on this front.
But it does mean that there's a whole pile of materiel that can't be used in a bomb anymore. And it does mean that the insurgents have lost a place to make their bombs. And it does build on the confidence and experience of the Afghan soldiers and police who took part in the operation. And it does improve the standing of the ANSF and ISAF forces in the eyes of the Afghan civilians who helped point us in the right direction.
The insurgents rely so heavily upon IED's because they have no other effective tactic against us - ISAF and the consistently ANA kick their asses in stand-up fights. (The ANP is another story, but that's coming along - slowly, but it's coming.) So when we go after their bomb-making ability, we're attacking their last real military option. That's important.
The question is whether we can get to enough of the personnel and materiel to make a real difference, or whether they can replenish themselves at a greater rate than we can take out the bomb-makers and their supplies and equipment.
Regardless of that bigger question, today's a good day. Today brings us word of one important victory among the many we'll require to succeed in the overall mission.
posted by Babbling Brooks at 11:00 a.m.
1 Comments:
Hear, hear! Today is a good day. They've done well.
Thank you for reporting the good news that others neglect.
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