Taliban take over villages outside Kandahar
* NATO, Afghan forces rush towards captured villages
* Government official says 500 Taliban captured several villages
KANDAHAR: Hundreds of Taliban fighters invaded villages just outside Kandahar on Monday, forcing NATO and Afghan troops to rush in and frightened residents to flee.
The Taliban assault on the outskirts of Kandahar was the latest display of prowess by Taliban militants despite a record number of United States troops in the country.
The push into Arghandab district - a lush region filled with grape and pomegranate groves that the Soviet army could never conquer - comes three days after a Taliban attack on Kandahar's prison that freed 400 insurgent fighters. Those fighters, NATO conceded, appear to now be massing on the doorstep of the Taliban's former powerbase. The sophisticated and successful jailbreak, followed by the movement into Arghandab, is the latest evidence of the growing strength of the Taliban militants.
The US and NATO have pleaded for additional troops over the last year and now have some 65,000 in the country. But the militants are still finding successes that the international alliance can't counter. "Three days ago, within a 30-minute operation, the Taliban freed hundreds of prisoners, and NATO, the Canadians, the Americans, didn't do anything," said Muhammad Asif, a 30-year-old Kandahar resident. "Now more than 500 Taliban are living in Arghandab. They are occupying the region."
500 Taliban: Arghandab government official Muhammad Farooq said about 500 Taliban fighters moved into his district and took over several villages. He said families were fleeing even as Canadian, US and Afghan forces were moving in. A large river dissects Arghandab's fertile lands. The east side, closest to Kandahar, is controlled by NATO and Afghan troops, Farooq said. The area to the river's west is now controlled by the Taliban.
"The Taliban told us to leave. They are planting mines everywhere," said Shafiq Khan, who was moving his wife, seven children and brother out of Arghandab in a small truck late Monday.
Khan reported that helicopters were patrolling the skies. "The people are scared," he said by mobile phone.
Arghandab lies just northwest of Kandahar city, and a tribal leader from the region warned that the militants could use the cover from Arghandab's orchards to mount an attack on Kandahar itself
"All of Arghandab is made of orchards. The militants can easily hide and easily fight," said Haji Ikramullah Khan. "It's quite close to Kandahar. During the Russian war, the Russians didn't even occupy Arghandab, because when they fought here they suffered big casualties." NATO spokesman Major General Carlos Branco dismissed the report, saying the Taliban couldn't mount such an attack. He said he didn't believe there are 500 fighters in Arghandab but wouldn't offer an estimate. afp
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Karzai can't control his own country and is threatening to send troops into Pakistan. Either he is confused, mentally retarded or frustrated with own failures. It could be combination of all three.