Global War on Terror

Global War on Terror Watch: Operation Mountain Fury

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AP: Coalition begins anti-Taliban operation

Dubbed Operation Mountain Fury, the offensive involves 7,000 U.S. and Afghan soldiers in the central and eastern provinces of Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Paktya and Logar, the military said.

Insurgents and other Islamic extremist groups, including al-Qaida, are known to operate in the region, especially in areas bordering Pakistan where the reach of the Afghan government is weak.

The operation comes as aNATO-led force, including 2,500 U.S. soldiers, is pressing heavy attacks on militants in Afghanistan’s south, claiming to have killed hundreds of guerrillas over the past two weeks.

Operation Mountain Fury occurs in conjunction with ongoing Operation Medusa in Kandahar’s Taliban infested Panjwai district and a lesser publicized Big North Wind in the Korangal Valley in Kunar. Canadian and Coalition forces have killed over 520 Taliban in Panjwai. The unpublicized Australian led Operation Perth in Helmand province led to 150 Taliban deaths.

But the Afghan and Coalition efforts may merely be a holding action. Attempts to stabilize the provinces on the Pakistani border has been a difficult task as Taliban and al-Qaeda have used Pakistan’s Baluchistan and North West Frontier Provinces as bases of operations. With the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan and the withdraw of Pakistani government forces from the area, al-Qaeda and the Taliban now have full control over Waziristan. The agency is now a safe haven for Taliban to train their forces and sortie into Afghanistan. Pakistan has released over 2,500 Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners, who are now heading into Waziristan. The fighting in Afghanistan will only intensify.

As Coalition forces route out the Taliban and push them into Pakistan, there has to be a concerted political effort to pursuade the Musharraf government of Pakistan to bomb the Taliban training camps located in Waziristan. Special operations after the bombing campaign will dismember the Taliban and prevent resupply of troops and ordinance into Afghanistan.

A NO will be an unacceptable answer even if it costs Musharraf his presidency – which it won’t.

Stay tuned…….


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