IED's Wrecking Havoc On Ground Forces in Afghanistan

Dec. 29, 09 (Hamsayeh.Net) - NATO says the US and coalition forces have about a year left to prove the strategy in Afghanistan is actually working. A top NATO official on condition of anonymity told journalists ‘the Taliban has got a government-in-waiting soon after the foreign forces leave Afghanistan.’ 

 

Taliban claims to have control over 80 percent of all of Afghanistan that is 33 out of total 34 provinces. They say in 33 provinces they have their own governors and as soon as US and NATO forces leave they can establish their rule all over the country. 

 

‘Time is running out. We’ve got about a year to prove that our strategy can actually work. The Taliban has shadow governors in 33 out of the 34 provinces, the insurgency is confident and are looking towards a post-ISAF Afghanistan,’ the NATO official, said referring to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

 

Based on latest reports despite a recent surge in the number of troops, foreign forces have no idea how to continue with the war against the enemy but rather they are assuming a wait and see approach at this time. The NATO official said that such an approach can not go on indefinitely and there is only a year left to see if we are winning or not.

 

Last month Obama announced sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and other NATO countries also contributed 7,000 troops. In addition nearly 35,000 private contractors and intelligence officers would soon join in.

 

The Military official explained that one of the hardest challenges right now is to deal with IED bombs being used so effectively by the Taliban. “This is not meant to be a joke, but whoever is their logistics chief, you know, we ought to be taking lessons from them. Because that’s pretty good ... for an enemy insurgent force to generate that kind of capability,” he said.

 

Improvised Explosive Devices or IED’s are makeshift bombs used against ground troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq effectively. The IED’s greatly hinder ground troops’ movements from their own secure bases, which then make it impossible to target Taliban fighters, except by the use of limited air strikes.