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Afghan Army faces key test in anti-Taliban offensive
Afghan forces are performing well in retaking a Taliban stronghold, but Afghan defense officials are concerned about insufficient weaponry and training.
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- Gordon Brown in surprise visit to Afghanistan (The Times, London)
- Pakistan reclaims valley from Islamist militants (Washington Times)
- Putin sees Medvedev as successor (BBC)
Musa Qala is symbolic for both sides in the conflict in Afghanistan as the only sizeable town controlled by the Taliban.
... After coming under sustained Taliban attacks, British troops pulled out of Musa Qala in October last year in a truce criticised by U.S. commanders that handed control of the town to tribal elders. The Taliban then seized Musa Qala in February.
The offensive comes as American officials worry that Al Qaeda is pushing to regroup in Afghanistan, The New York Times reports:
American military and intelligence officials are detecting early signs that Al Qaeda may be increasing its activities in Afghanistan, perhaps even seeking to return to its former base of operations, a senior Defense Department official said...
The senior Defense Department official … said, "We are seeing early indicators that there may be some stepped-up activity by Al Qaeda." No details were offered.
The official cautioned, "It's pretty hard to pull trends out of a few indications," but added that even tentative evidence of increased Qaeda activity in Afghanistan "is something we are concerned with."
American military and intelligence officials are detecting early signs that Al Qaeda may be increasing its activities in Afghanistan, perhaps even seeking to return to its former base of operations, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.
With Al Qaeda growing in strength, Washington plans to pump more money and equipment into the Afghan Army, according to The Washington Post.
The United States and Afghanistan plan to expand the Afghan army by up to 12,000 soldiers and accelerate shipments of tens of thousands of U.S. M-16 rifles, armored Humvees and other weaponry by the spring to counter a growing threat from Taliban insurgents and al-Qaeda fighters, U.S. and Afghan commanders said Tuesday.
The Pentagon is also working to speed the flow of weaponry and armor to the Afghan forces, who suffer most of their casualties -- up to 90 percent, according to Afghan army officials -- in roadside bombings. The weapons include 5,000 U.S. M-16 rifles, due to arrive this month, with another 10,000 each month after that, for a total of 60,000, said Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, head of the training command.
But as Washington scales up, Britain's presence in Afghanistan is expected to scale down, according to an analysis piece in the Guardian:
[A]s British troops are engaged in a battle for the Taliban stronghold in Musa Qala, Gordon Brown is expected to tell MPs that it is time the Afghans did more to bring security to their country. Defence and diplomatic sources say the message for Iraq and Afghanistan will be that British forces can only do so much and it is now up to local security forces, civilian institutions and politicians to take the lead. "Military effort alone does not provide solutions," said one official.
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