NATO may have killed 'senior' Taliban leader(another #2)

[maddezmom]

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Coalition forces may have killed a "known senior Taliban leader" in a "precision air strike" in southern Afghanistan early Wednesday, a NATO statement said.

"The senior Taliban leader that is believed to have been killed in the strike was linked to the Musa Qala uprising and disturbances across Northern Helmand," the statement said.

Helmand province has been a hotbed of Taliban activity in recent months.

link: http://us.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/14/wednesday/index.html


Taliban commander vows biggest ever offensive in Afghanistan


KABUL (AFP) - A purported Taliban commander has said the militia is ready for its "biggest ever" offensive in Afghanistan this year, while a boosted NATO-led force says it also plans significant operations.

The first weeks of 2007 have already seen intense fighting, mainly in the southern province of Helmand where the Taliban have held a small town for a fortnight, and the year is shaping up to be as violent as 2006 -- the worst in the insurgency.

~snip~
Ahmed Rashid, an expert on the Taliban, said the militia controls about two-thirds of Helmand.

"The perception in the south of the country is certainly that the Taliban are coming back. And perceptions play a big part in this country," he told AFP.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070214/wl_afp/afghanistanunresttalibannato_070214075043

Taliban flee battle using children as shields - NATO

KABUL, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Taliban fighters used children as human shields to flee heavy fighting this week during an operation by foreign and Afghan forces to clear rebels from around a key hydrolectric dam, NATO said on Wednesday.

~snip~

Earler on Wednesday, NATO said it had killed a Taliban leader in a pre-dawn airstrike between the dam and the nearby town of Musa Qala, to the west, which the rebels have held for 13 days.

NATO said there were no civilian casualties, but local tribal leader Haji Sultan said several villagers were killed.

Helmand Governor Asadullah Wafa would not comment.

more:http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP287758.htm

[truthisfreedom]

1. There's always more #2's.

I have one every morning.

[maddezmom]

2. AFP: NATO planes target senior Taliban, locals say civilians killed

~snip~
Without causing further collateral damage, one building in the compound was fully destroyed," it said. "Precision-guided munitions" were used.

A man identifying himself as a local Taliban commander, Mullah Nizamuddin, said four of his men were killed in the NATO attack which he said struck a civilian's home where they had been spending the night after having dinner.

Thirteen members of their host's family were killed including children, he told AFP by telephone. Nizamuddin said the strike appeared to have been targeted at himself.

A village chief told AFP by telephone that more than 30 people were killed, including 20 Taliban fighters who had been spending the night in the targeted house. He said bodies were pulled from the rubble in the morning.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070214/wl_afp/afghanistanunrest_070214104334

[Doondoo]

3. All they care about is the body count. They've forgotten the lesson of Vietnam.