At 0630 this morning, Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the form of the Kabul Critical Response Unit (CRU) finished off a crew of villains who had been fighting for the past 16 hours. These guys, most likely HIG militants, had barricaded themselves in a building under construction next to the Azizi Bank located on Zambaq Square, which is right next to the diplomatic quarter. This is the same tactic they used in the attack on the diplomatic quarter last September, but this time they attacked from the opposite direction.
ANSF pinned the attackers down at the start of this incident yesterday afternoon. When I climbed up Bibi Mahroo Hill this morning all the shooting (and there was a lot still going on) was being done by the ANSF. When a brick wall is all that separates you from the exploding RPG’s, anti tank rockets and heavy machinegun fire; the concussive effect from the over-pressure are brutal. I doubt that the villains were in any condition to offer effective resistance by the time the CRU went in to finish them off. At 0630 local time the scene was declared secure and ANSF announced that the insurgents had been terminated.
These attacks, like those before them, accomplished very little tactically but then again they don’t have to. Just mounting the attack is a victory for insurgents with the only audience that counts: the people of Afghanistan. Tactical victories are physical victories and at this point in the conflict physical victories don’t count only, moral ones do. The Taliban are fighting against infidel invaders and a corrupt central government. They are gaining the moral high ground with the Afghan people by standing up to the worlds most powerful military and an unpopular central government.
So we now have another problem. Not the attack; it accomplished nothing except to demonstrate the insurgents’ ability to stockpile weapons and ammunition inside the most secure parts of Kabul. That takes time, money and access; whoever they paid for the access is the problem and those kind of problems are endemic in Kabul.
Here are the latest casualty figures for this series of attacks from Reuters;
Afghan security forces have killed 32 gunmen and arrested one more in operations to stop coordinated attacks by Taliban fighters that hit the capital, Kabul, and three other provinces, the defense ministry said on Monday. Eight members of the security forces have been killed and 44 others, including five civilians, wounded, Mohammad Zahir, Kabul CID chief, said on Monday.
Given the amount of ordnance the insurgents fired off that is an amazingly low count. This isn’t the last time Kabul is going to be targeted; we’ll be in the hot seat again soon. For now the local people are going about their business hoping that the next time insurgents decide to make a statement their luck continues to hold.
Well from what i could see, thay just throw there lives away. But are guys are OK so that’s what counts.
Possible reasons for the attacks:
1. Staking territory. When the Americans pull out, it will be a free-for-all, like in the 90s. Whoever makes a name for himself as a player now will be in a stronger position vis-a-vis recruiting, securing foreign sponsorship, etc, just like the guys who split the country in the 90s had made their bones with spectacular attacks on the Soviets a decade before.
2. A message to the Afghans on the fence. If ANSF can’t keep this kind of shit from happening in broad daylight, what makes you think you’ll be safe in your compound, especially as the American drawdown takes place? Get down or lay down.
3. Logistics dry runs for something more spectacular. If retards with no real game plan can do something spectacular like this, think about what a couple of dozen guys not suffering from neurological handicaps and with a clear plan can do.
One less monolithic piece of Western architecture in the country must make ALL the ethnic groups quite happy… Except of course the ones who lived most of their lives in Vienna Virginia or other ex-patty place. As far as “Wasted Lives”. Haven’t seen the ISAF corpse count recently, and the Pentagon’s tally keeping of dead US soldiers has always left a lot to be desired. Maybe they’ve gotten more efficient at flying the dying to Hamburg so there are no ‘combat casualties?
The only thing they proved was that they could coordinate attacks on numerous sites. The effectiveness of those attacks seems to have been minimal.The Taliban are very media savvy and need to control the narrative.
Almost on schedule there was a big jailbreak in Waziristan, so I’m sure we will see more ISI directed incidents in coming months. Look for some really nasty stuff.
The positive effects (not in order of importance)for AOG are:
1) the ability to get a platoon into the centre of the city is again proven,
2) Kabul will be seen as increasingly dangerous making it harder and more expensive to staff foreign organizations
3) more ANSF will be diverted to the city
4) foreign agencies will increase their security- more guards, concrete and traffic jams
5) two days of TV coverage showing ~ 36 guys taking on ANSF and NATO in the capitol. If the roles were reversed there would be a Hollywood block buster’s script being written before the smoke cleared.
6) increased sense in the west that the situation is hopeless as well as a waste of resources.
Back home our government, along with pals in the media are ramping up their game of “pulling the rug” out from underneath our soldiers in your neck of the woods.
Can’t wait for John Kerry to make another grand statement on that last person to die…
well done with the article
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