‘We will not lay down our weapons. We will fight to the death.’
The Battle of Musa Qala in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, was fought a week ago. Despite the town’s symbolic importance as one of the centers of Taliban resistance, I don’t recall hearing or reading anything about this major battle in the U.S. media. Operations to secure the area continue.
In late September 2006, after months of sustained attacks, a secret truce was allegedly made with the Taliban under which British troops would quietly move out of Musa Qala in return for the Taliban not attacking the region. On February 1, 2007, a Taliban force about a hundred or possibly two hundred strong under Mullah Ghafoor captured the town, overran the district center and raised their trademark white flag. All tribal leaders who had arranged the truce with the British forces were jailed.
The district was the scene of heavy fighting in late July 2007 after US-led forces attacked several rebel hideouts. NATO commanders said that up to 160 Taliban fighters were killed between July 22 and July 26 in gun battles and air strikes, adding that, rather than avoiding battle, the Taliban were trying to defend the area.
NATO command decided that Musa Qala was too important to let the Taliban stay there this winter. A combined Afghan Army, British and U.S. force attacked on December 7. Taliban commander Mullah Ahmadullah said: “Morale is high… we will not lay down our weapons. We will fight to the death.” The defenders had a sophisticated defensive belt of mines, booby traps, fortified bunkers, machine gun posts and anti-aircraft gun positions and an estimated 2,000 Taliban fighters. Outnumbered more than three to one, they eventually made a tactical withdrawal rather than risk a decisive defeat.
This winter there will be no pause in the fighting, as used to be traditional in Afghanistan. Writes David Loyn of the BBC: “The battle for Musa Qala is won. The campaign has a long way to go.”
UPDATE: “Deeply concerned about the prospect of failure,” the Bush administration is quietly doing a strategic re-think of Afghanistan.
January 31st, 2008 at 11:17 am
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