US, Afghan forces clear last parts of Taliban area

[NJmaverick]

Source: Associated Press

MARJAH, Afghanistan – Marines and Afghan troops who fought through the center of Marjah linked up Saturday with American soldiers on the northern edge of the former Taliban stronghold, clearing the town's last major pocket of resistance.
The joint force encountered almost no hostile fire, indicating that the militants have either fled or blended in with the local population — perhaps to stage attacks later if the Afghan government fails to hold the town. Some Taliban operatives are believed to remain west of Marjah.
Establishing a credible local government is a key component of NATO's strategy for the 2-week-old offensive on the Taliban's longtime logistical hub and heroin-smuggling center. Earlier in the week, the government installed a new town administrator, and several hundred Afghan police have begun to patrol the newly cleared areas of the town in the southern province of Helmand.
After a grueling four-day march, Marines and Afghan troops succeeded Saturday in linking up with a U.S. Army Stryker battalion on Marjah's northern outskirts.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_afghanistan;_ylt=Am_.gK1tsNMcN1OFF2bxpcus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNmcjhkbWY1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMjI3L2FzX2FmZ2hhbmlzdGFuBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMwRwb3MDMTQEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3VzYWZnaGFuZm9yYw--

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

1. funny they left something out

namely that the CIA has mandated we protect all those wonderful little poppy fields. No bombings, and if the Taliban were hiding in the fields we used smoke grenades instead of live ammo. Gee, I wonder why they did that? Hmmmm, I wonder.....

[NJmaverick]

4. link please

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Flaneur]

26. Try Googling "Richard Holbrooke" and "opium eradication"

Our policy shifted last summer. US troops marched through poppy fields on their way to Marjah; they didn't destroy them.

This is exactly what I posted in what has become a deleted subthread. Is someone trying to squelch unwanted info?

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Robb]

18. Horseshit.

We don't bomb like WWII because half the country's population are teenagers and younger. Who do you think does almost all the agricultural work in a developing country? :eyes:

[laststeamtrain]

2. "We're all neocons now."

[NJmaverick]

3. Only in the sense that some can't admit they were WRONG

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJmaverick]

12. delete

[TheWatcher]

25. Projection so large you could view on the side of a mountain.

[Fumesucker]

6. ""The joint force encountered almost no hostile fire...

indicating that the militants have either fled or blended in with the local population""

That's what makes guerilla wars so frustrating and difficult for the invading force..

The great majority of Taliban have simply faded into the woodwork and will come out at some later time.

Lather, rinse, repeat..

[NJmaverick]

11. Fading is nice but guerilla troops lose arms, $$$ and support

in cases like this

[Fumesucker]

20. Whereas of course, we gain arms, $$$ and support from cases like this..

Eh?

Glad you think we have lives and treasure to throw away half way around the world..

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJmaverick]

10. The Afghan government and police forces

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJmaverick]

14. For the most part you are wrong

there is a small percentage of infiltration but the majority are opposed to the Taliban and their brutal tactics

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NJmaverick]

16. Georgie boy took his eye off the ball

neglected the conflict in favor of his war of choice in Iraq

[Robb]

17. Quite incorrect.

The Taliban and allies such as Fedayeen-i-Islam are in terrible disarray at the moment. Given the recent run on the Quetta Shura and the damage done with strikes in Waziristan, they are short on charismatic leadership at the moment.
And you don't mount a counteroffensive without unity. There's nothing for them to regroup.

[bvar22]

21. The Afghan Government?...LOL

Meet Hamid Karzai
or as Obama calls him, "The Government of Afghanistan".

He was appointed by Bush the Lesser to run Afghanistan.
He is one of the most despicable criminals in The World,
But NOW we like him so much
that our children are fighting and dying in the deserts of Afghanistan to keep him in power.


http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091221/engelhardt

[JonLP24]

19. Now hopefully this is a sign

people will be coming home soon.

[bemildred]

22. Yippee, we can still conquer small agrarian parts of 3rd world countries. nt

[laststeamtrain]

23. 'Government in a box' in Marja

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x521341

[TheWatcher]

24. War Kool-Aid. MMMMMMMMMM Good.

[Flaneur]

27. Wow, looks like somebody complained about every post that disagreed with him.

And somehow got them all deleted.