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"Tactical defeat" of Taliban
Official reports are that the Taliban chose to stand and fight in Southern Afghanistan during Operation Medusa. Not surprisingly, the Taliban were slaughtered. Roughly 1,000 to 1,500 dead -- about 1/3rd or 1/4th of the Taliban's fighting capacity. 19 NATO soldiers were killed.
Do you believe that the NATO commander is portraying the battle accurately, and, if so, why did the Taliban choose to stand and fight a battle with little chance of winning?
This battle was Canadian-led, by the way.
Do you believe that the NATO commander is portraying the battle accurately, and, if so, why did the Taliban choose to stand and fight a battle with little chance of winning?
This battle was Canadian-led, by the way.
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - NATO's southern Afghanistan offensive this month killed 1,000 to 1,500 Taliban fighters, a large chunk of the entire force, passing a major test on the battlefield, its top operational commander said on Wednesday.
Gen. James Jones, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, also said alliance allies have committed to provide at least 2,000 of the roughly 2,000-2,500 extra troops he sought to bolster the 20,000-strong NATO force in Afghanistan.
"There are some countries that I'm not free to announce that are going to make some contributions in the near future," the U.S. Marine Corps general told a Pentagon briefing.
Jones provided a higher enemy death toll than NATO previously had given for the two-week Operation Medusa offensive, which ended last weekend.
The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan said on Sunday NATO and Afghan troops had driven Taliban insurgents out of the Panjwai district, near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.
Asked how many Taliban fighters were killed, Jones said, "I would say it's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of around 1,000. ... If you said 1,500, it wouldn't surprise me. But I think that's a fair number."
NATO had said more than 400 insurgents were killed. The Taliban denied such losses. Five Canadians and 14 Britons also died in the operation. Jones said 20,000 villagers were displaced.
Canadian, British and Dutch soldiers are leading a NATO push into the south, the most lawless part of Afghanistan, and have faced a more aggressive Taliban than expected.
"I think a major test was passed in Medusa," Jones said.
"There are a lot of people out there that said, 'Will NATO fight? Won't they fight?'"
Jones said the Taliban "suffered a tactical defeat in the area where they chose to stand and fight," and was forced to retreat, but: "I don't think they've been totally defeated."
Jones said the Taliban force in Afghanistan numbers 3,000 to 4,000 "hard-core" fighters, not including others paid as "weekend warriors."
NATO REINFORCEMENTS
Jones appealed to NATO allies on Sept. 7 to send 2,000 to 2,500 more troops to reinforce the NATO force that has moved into the south.
The appeal initially went unheeded, but Jones announced on Wednesday "we will go beyond the 2,000 manpower figure" when counting troop pledges made publicly and other pledges that Jones declined to detail.
Poland said last week it would send 1,000 more troops early next year. Romania said on Monday it will send 200 to the south next month.
"We have enough troop strength to counter anything they want to throw at us," Jones said. A separate U.S. force in Afghanistan numbers 21,000.
Jones expressed renewed alarm about the Afghan drug trade.
"We're not making progress. We're losing ground. And that has to be reversed because it affects the entire fabric, social structure, economic structure, and it supports the insurgency," Jones said.
"I think that we're still at the stage in the war on narcotics of finding definition for an agreed-upon strategy that says, 'This is how we're going to win this fight.'"
But Jones repeated NATO's position that narcotics is not a military problem, saying, "Having NATO troops out there burning crops, for example, is not going to significantly contribute to the war on drugs."
A U.N. report said poppy cultivation will soar to record levels in Afghanistan this year, yielding 92 percent of the world's supply of opium, the raw material for heroin.
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - NATO's southern Afghanistan offensive this month killed 1,000 to 1,500 Taliban fighters, a large chunk of the entire force, passing a major test on the battlefield, its top operational commander said on Wednesday.
Gen. James Jones, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, also said alliance allies have committed to provide at least 2,000 of the roughly 2,000-2,500 extra troops he sought to bolster the 20,000-strong NATO force in Afghanistan.
"There are some countries that I'm not free to announce that are going to make some contributions in the near future," the U.S. Marine Corps general told a Pentagon briefing.
Jones provided a higher enemy death toll than NATO previously had given for the two-week Operation Medusa offensive, which ended last weekend.
The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan said on Sunday NATO and Afghan troops had driven Taliban insurgents out of the Panjwai district, near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.
Asked how many Taliban fighters were killed, Jones said, "I would say it's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of around 1,000. ... If you said 1,500, it wouldn't surprise me. But I think that's a fair number."
NATO had said more than 400 insurgents were killed. The Taliban denied such losses. Five Canadians and 14 Britons also died in the operation. Jones said 20,000 villagers were displaced.
Canadian, British and Dutch soldiers are leading a NATO push into the south, the most lawless part of Afghanistan, and have faced a more aggressive Taliban than expected.
"I think a major test was passed in Medusa," Jones said.
"There are a lot of people out there that said, 'Will NATO fight? Won't they fight?'"
Jones said the Taliban "suffered a tactical defeat in the area where they chose to stand and fight," and was forced to retreat, but: "I don't think they've been totally defeated."
Jones said the Taliban force in Afghanistan numbers 3,000 to 4,000 "hard-core" fighters, not including others paid as "weekend warriors."
NATO REINFORCEMENTS
Jones appealed to NATO allies on Sept. 7 to send 2,000 to 2,500 more troops to reinforce the NATO force that has moved into the south.
The appeal initially went unheeded, but Jones announced on Wednesday "we will go beyond the 2,000 manpower figure" when counting troop pledges made publicly and other pledges that Jones declined to detail.
Poland said last week it would send 1,000 more troops early next year. Romania said on Monday it will send 200 to the south next month.
"We have enough troop strength to counter anything they want to throw at us," Jones said. A separate U.S. force in Afghanistan numbers 21,000.
Jones expressed renewed alarm about the Afghan drug trade.
"We're not making progress. We're losing ground. And that has to be reversed because it affects the entire fabric, social structure, economic structure, and it supports the insurgency," Jones said.
"I think that we're still at the stage in the war on narcotics of finding definition for an agreed-upon strategy that says, 'This is how we're going to win this fight.'"
But Jones repeated NATO's position that narcotics is not a military problem, saying, "Having NATO troops out there burning crops, for example, is not going to significantly contribute to the war on drugs."
A U.N. report said poppy cultivation will soar to record levels in Afghanistan this year, yielding 92 percent of the world's supply of opium, the raw material for heroin.
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