The attack on Afghanistan 1 2001: The original attack

aerial bombing, targeting the Taliban forces and Al-Qaeda.57 Attacks were reported in Kabul (the capital of Afghanistan), Kandahar (home of the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, Mullah Omar) and in Jalalabad, where training camps of the Taliban were attacked. The Bush administration justified these attacks as a response to the September 11 attacks on the US. In response, the Taliban stated that these attacks were an “attack on Islam”.58

A pre-recorded videotape of Osama bin Laden was released before the attack on Afghanistan. Al Jazeera, an Arabic satellite news channel, aired this recording where Bin Laden stated that America would fail in Afghanistan and then collapse, as the Soviet Union had. He ended by calling for a war of the Muslims, a Jihad, against the US and its allies. The US attacks were focused on the three cities as mentioned, Kabul, Jalalabad and Kandahar. The Taliban air defences were completely destroyed and Al-Qaeda's training camps severely damaged. The US campaign then focused on the command, control and communication targets of the Taliban. Meanwhile thousands of Pashtun militiamen from Pakistan moved into Afghanistan to assist the Taliban against the US and its allies. After the aerial attacks the US Special Forces raided deep into the Taliban heartland. Within a short period of time the Taliban were starting to retreat (Watson, 2007) (cf. Map of Afghanistan: Figure 2).

57 _{http://www.archives.cnn.com/2001/US/10/07/gen.america.under.attack/index.html.} 58 _{http://www.australianpolitics.com/news/2001/01-10.07.shtml.}

Figure 2: Map of Sunni area in Afghanistan where most of the fighting took place (Source: http://www.boatsie.com/images/360_Pictures,_Sunni_triangle_Pat.jpg)

A complete takeover of the Taliban regime seemed imminent. Finally, the Taliban were heavily outnumbered and Kabul was occupied by the US/NATO forces. At first, however, 10 000 Taliban troops refused to surrender. Soon after heavy fighting, once again in Tora Bora, the Taliban fighters surrendered.59 Most of the fighting took place in the Sunni triangle.

3.2.2 2002: Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan

The number of US-led coalition forces operating in Afghanistan eventually grew to over 10 000. A Taliban leader, Mullah Saifr Rehman began to regroup his troops to fight the US-led forces. They numbered more than 1000 troops and their intention was to use the Shaki-kot Mountains of Paktia province to launch guerrilla attacks in a Mujahideen-style offensive, similar to that used in the battle to fight the Soviet forces during the 1980s. The Taliban forces used the hit and run tactic on the US and its allies. They would open fire and then retreat in their caves and bunkers (CNN, March 14, 2002). By 6 March

59

Afghanistan could return to being a “failed state”, warns Security Council mission chief (http://www.UN.org/apps/news/story.asp? News ID = 20702 & CR = afghan & CRI).

2002 eight Americans, seven Afghan soldiers and an estimated 400 Taliban troops had been killed in the fighting (CNN, December 14, 2002).

Al-Qaeda fighters along with tribal protectors in Pakistan regained their strength and later launched cross-border raids on the US and its allies. Guerrilla units of between 5 and 25 men regularly crossed the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan to ambush US convoys and patrols. Because of these tactics by the Taliban forces, the Pentagon requested that the British Royal Marines be deployed on account of their highly trained mountain warfare knowledge. The British Royal Marines conducted a number of missions over several weeks, but had little effect in these difficult circumstances. The Taliban, on the other hand, avoided combat and hid away in their caves and tunnels in the Afghanistan mountain ranges or across the border in Pakistan (CNN March 14, 2002).

3.2.3 2003: Renewed Taliban insurgency

During September 2003 the Taliban forces regrouped and launched a renewed Jihad or holy war against the US and its allies in both Afghanistan and Pakistan (Associated Press February 14, 2003). According to an Afghan source and a report from the United Nations, small mobile training camps were erected by Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces along the border of Pakistan to train new recruits in guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics (Owias, 2003).

The Taliban established a new mode of operation: gathering into groups of around 50 to launch attacks on isolated outposts and convoys and then breaking up into smaller groups of 5-10 men (Owias, 2003). Al-Qaeda forces in the East of Afghanistan had a different strategy: they would concentrate on catching the US troops in ambushes.60

As from January 2006, NATO forces started to replace US troops in Southern Afghanistan. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade formed the core of the forces along

with troops and helicopters from Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.61 It is also here in the southern part of Afghanistan where the deadliest spate of violence was experienced since the original deployment of troops back in 2001.

In July, Canadian Forces launched Operation Medusa in an attempt to clear the Taliban fighters out of the area. The fighting with NATO forces was intense throughout the second half of 2006. NATO has been successful in achieving tactical victories over the Taliban, but could not have overwhelmed them in 2006, and a continued operation was called for in 2007.

In January 2007 British Royal Marines mounted Operation Volcano to clear insurgents from firing at marked targets in the village of Barikju, north of Kajaki (Associated Press 2003). The ministry of defence in Britain announced that it intended to increase the number of British troops to 7700 committed until 2009. In addition, more armoured vehicles were promised, along with 4 MRLS systems and further light field guns.62