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Subscribe to RSSAfter an 18-hour assault, the Taliban took responsibility for the destruction. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
The United States is gearing up for what may be the last major American-run offensive of the Afghanistan war — a bid to secure the approaches to Kabul.
The U.S.-led spring offensive, expected to begin in the coming weeks, may be NATO's last chance to shore up Kabul's defenses before a significant withdrawal of combat troops limits its options.
The focus will be regions that control the main access routes, roads and highways into the ancient city from the desert south and the mountainous east. These routes are used not only by traders carrying goods from Pakistan and Iran but also by militants, including the Taliban.
The Taliban made their intentions clear over the weekend, mounting spectacular coordinated attacks that spawned an 18-hour battle with Afghan and NATO forces.
While bombings and shootings elsewhere in Afghanistan receive relatively little attention, attacks in the capital alarm the general population, undermine the government's reputation and frighten foreigners into fleeing the country.
Kabul fighting ends after 18 hours of intense gunfire
That's why insurgents on Sunday struck locations that were so fortified they could cause little or no damage, including the diplomatic quarter, the parliament and a NATO base.
"These are isolated attacks that are done for symbolic purposes, and they have not regained any territory," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday.
The strategy in eastern Afghanistan involves clearing militants from provinces such as Ghazni, just south of the capital. The pivotal region links Kabul with the Taliban homeland in the south and provinces bordering Pakistan to the east.
NATO, under U.S. command, will also conduct more operations in eastern provinces such as Paktika and Paktia that are considered major infiltration routes to the capital from insurgent safe havens in Pakistan.
Afghan President Karzai slams NATO over 18-hour Kabul gunbattle
Afghan and U.S. officials blamed the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, which is part of the Taliban and has close links with al-Qaida, for the weekend attacks that left 36 insurgents, eight policemen and three civilians dead in Kabul and three eastern provinces.
But Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said officials have not concluded whether the attacks emanated out of Pakistan.
Declining numbers of international troops in the coming months are also forcing coalition forces to focus less on remote and thickly populated places such as eastern Nuristan. They hope to move responsibility for those areas to the Afghan security forces.
A string of brazen attacks in Afghanistan left 36 insurgents, eight policemen and three civilians dead. NBC's Sohel Uddin reports.
Coalition forces last summer made gains in traditional Taliban strongholds such as Kandahar and Helmand provinces in the south, areas they must now hold with fewer troops.
By September, as many as 10,000 U.S. Marines are scheduled to leave Helmand and hand over the lead for security to Afghan forces in the former Taliban stronghold.
"It's going to be a very busy summer," Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. and NATO commander, said recently. "The campaign will balance the drawdown of the surged forces with the consolidation of our holdings in the south, continued combat operations" and an effort to push Afghan security forces into the lead.
The Afghan army and police are now in charge of security for areas home to half the nation's population, with coalition forces in a support role. The coalition hopes to keep handing over control until Afghan forces are fully in charge by the end of 2013, with all combat troops scheduled to withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.
Ahmad Jamshid / AP
More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.
The U.S. may retain a small number of forces past that date to help train and mentor the Afghan army and help with counterterrorism efforts.
There is very little appetite in Western countries for keeping troops in Afghanistan, but U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Sunday's attack shows the danger of withdrawing international forces too quickly.
"There's a very dangerous enemy out there with capabilities and with safe havens in Pakistan. To get out before the Afghans have a full grip on security, which is a couple of years out, would be to invite the Taliban, Haqqani, and al-Qaida back in and set the stage for another 9/11," Crocker said.
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Does the Government really believe that any kind of approach in a place where a religious book dictates the lives of people,women have zero rights and Anti-Americanism sentiments flood all over the region is going to change anything.
Let alone future,any kind of incorporated practice will not withstand even for a Good Week.
Utter waste of time,money and most importantly:"lives".
"U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Sunday's attack shows the danger of withdrawing international forces too quickly."
"Too quickly"? Over ten years is "too quickly"? If these clowns haven't learned to defend themselves by now, I can't see where our "last major American-run offensive of the Afghanistan war" is going to make a lot of difference.
The US and it's allies would like to announce that we intend to mount a large offensive in the next few weeks. Isn't that a tidy thing to say- hey, we are coming right here (on the map) at that time. Maybe it's me but mounting a military offensive shouldn't be publicized- unless your goal is to allow your enemy to escape or set a lot of traps for you.
Yes, I'm with the it's time to leave crowd- mostly because I think the troops are being manipulated for the politician's sake and not being allowed to do the job they are capable of doing. We'll leave, they'll claim victory over another superpower, Karzai will have a lot of trouble then hop a flight out of there with the cash, and the Taliban will regain control, blow up more icons, destroy the lives of the civilians/tribes, and it'll all be the same. The only difference is that this time the US is providing them with a highway system and infrustructure to live better without us. Yay.
After 10 years of "victorious" war, our objective is to secure the capital??? Time to admit we've lost!
Why don't you strip off your skid-marked skivvies and run them up the flagpole(ala Harry Reid) and surrender? Jeeze!!!
The only way to "win" in Afghanistan is to eliminate the population. Ethnic cleans, kill all the civilians, what ever you want to call it, it is the only way to "win". Do to the Afghans what Americans did to the American Indian - kill, put any survivors on reservations and destroy their way of life.
If we are not ready to do the above, we shouldn't be there at all.
The word "war" should be like the "f" word and the "s" word where you can't say them on TV or radio. War means much, much more nasty things than "f" or "s".
This is the rerason we are in Afghanistan. It is for a pipeline to transport Israeli owned gas. Read below:
On December 11, a preliminary agreement was signed in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, by
representatives of the four countries to proceed with plans for the American
and Israeli-backed pipeline. Here are the basic points about the TAPI pipeline:
Construction of pipeline will be completed by 2014
1,680 kilometer gas pipeline will supply 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (much of
this gas will come from Israeli/Mossad-owned gas fields in Turkmenistan,
meaning immense profits for the Mossadniks who pulled of 9/11)............â–ºThe Obama
administration, elected on the promise to withdraw U.S. troops by July 2011,
now says the U.S. will maintain combat troops in Afghanistan until December
2014. On December 17, the House passed a defense authorization bill (by a
341-48 vote) that authorizes the Pentagon to spend more than $160 billion on
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 without major restrictions on the
conduct of operations. Why are U.S. (and NATO) troops being kept in Afghanistan
for another 4 years? What's really going on there? What is the cost and who is
involved in this game??
The real reason for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is to build and
secure a 1,080-mile long gas pipeline designed to carry trillions of dollars of
Israeli-owned gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. You could ask how
come Turkmenistans gas could be Israeli-owned, here is the answer:
Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Israeli agents sought to gain control of the
strategic assets of the newly independent Soviet republics. In mineral-rich
Turkmenistan, a Mossad agent named Yosef A. Maiman was very successful in
gaining control of the republic's immense resources of natural gas. Yosef
Maiman, born in Germany in 1946, grew up in Peru and studied in the United
States before becoming an Israeli citizen in 1971. As an agent of Israeli
intelligence, Maiman heads a network of Mossad-controlled companies that serve
Israeli interests. As the chief executive of the Merhav Group, Maiman has
controlled the development of Turmenistan's gas resources. Maiman's key
colleagues at Merhav are the former head of the Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, and
Nimrod Novik, chief adviser to Shimon Peres, the current president of Israel.
Maiman was described as "a leading miner" of Central Asian gas fields by the Jerusalem
Post in 2004. Given their control of the immense gas resources of Turkmenistan,
Maiman, Merhav, and the "Mossad" would all profit if and when the
U.S.-led coalition were able to "pacify" and control Afghanistan so
that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline could be
built allowing the gas of Turkmenistan to be sold to energy-hungry India . The TAPI pipeline
project would bring billions of dollars into "Mossad" coffers every
year. This is the real reason for the war in Afghanistan and why the
Zionist-controlled Obama administration has increased the war effort in Central
Asia. It has nothing to do with terrorism or 9-11.
Now you can easily understand why there was need for the "justification" of
this war, which was planned before the 9/11
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550366.stm). The false-flag terror
attacks of 9/11 were part of a strategic Israeli operation to bring the U.S.
military into Afghanistan on a long-term mission on behalf of Israel’s Turkmen
gas enterprise. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is
the real reason that U.S. soldiers are killing and dying in the southwestern
Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. 9/11 was just the cover story for
this pre-planned war of aggression - and it is nothing but a complete hoax.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/04/04/the-real-nuclear-outlaws/
Building a pipeline across Afghanistan makes about as much sense as putting up a lemonade stand in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway in January. it makes no sense. there will never be any way to protect it from attacks and sabotage irregardless of what we do/don't do in Afghanistan militarily. The Taliban will always be there and they hate oil/gas distribution more than they hate Christians.
I would be more prone to believe we are there more to manage the opium distribution than to insure some "proposed" pipeline project for the Israelis. Obama and our military would not still be there if this was about doing something beneficial for the Israelis. You should know that.
Why not? A religious book dominates the United States!!!!!
I didn't realize the Constitution was a religious document.
Oh, please stop the Bull. The Constitution for all practical purposes has been ripped up and replaced by the Holy Bible. Just listen to the politicians who are running for office they quote the Bible more than the Constitution. Every office holder or candidate must meet a religious test to win elections. How many professed atheists are in office? NONE
The rights granted under the Constitution have been under attack by this government for last 30 years all based on scare tactics or religious beliefs.
The United States is one of the most religious countries in the world and one of the least educated ones among the industrialized nations of the world consistently falling behind other first world nations. No coincidence there.
This is wh I maintain the nation is run by the Holy Bible.
Name one right that has been surrendered under the pretenses of a religious belief. We have surrendered several rights under the Patriot Act, so I will readily agree that the constitution is under attack through "scare" tactics-- but I can't think of a single, constitutionally guaranteed right that has ever been threatened by any religious doctrine of any kind.
This is absurd, after 10 years, we are still launching offensives and even more absurd, the Taliban is still around and mounting its own attacks.
did u see the story of the 150 girls poisened and on the slide show w/ the girl who got finger nails pulled out tortured w/ hot irons theres a law just made by the pres 2let men beat there wife 4 no reason
To answer your question bwkush3all: Yes! The very same thing actually happened here in the U.S., before things finally slowly changed. Don't forget that during colonial times, many plantation owners claimed that the Holy Bible game them the right to ensalve millions of African men and women. Not to mention that all this occurred while those same slave owners engaged in ungodly sexual relationships with those helpless, underaged, captive females while they raped them, as many of the slave owners' wives knowingly stood by idle & supportive.
So listen bwkush3all, don't try to pretend like foreign countries are the only places that engage in extreme reprehensible actions that are despicable. The U.S. has enough sins occurring here to answer to, so be cautious about becoming arrogant about other nations that are in the growing process. Not to mention the detestable amount of clandestine racism and greed on Wall Street & with politicians that still occurs in this country today. I love the U.S., but our history is often embarrassing when told forthright w/o the sterility that's often inserted into elementary school and high school textbooks.
May God help us all to become less judgmental and more self critical about our own shortcomings. After all, no man is without fault or sin. We just have to be more willing to honestly address it and discuss it w/o being pious of other nations.
So what do the misdeeds of our country's past have to do with what's about to happen shortly? I agree totally with bk3 assessment- America will loose even more of it's finest, we are for the most part leaving next year, and soon as the light is off the cockroaches will be back.
God is dead. throw away the religious books and be a better person on your own.
So what have we really accomplished in the 10 years that we have spent in Afghanistan? Have we really made it secure from the terrorist hordes? Have we cleared out the Taliban? Have we improved the ability of that country to defend itself? Seems that we have done very little there except overstay our welcome, lost the lives of untold numbers of service men and women, spent an incredible amount of taxpayer money which has put our economy now and for future generations at risk and to top it all off we have told everyone when we are leaving and when we will drew down troop levels. Seems that the US has learned nothing from this experience.
Exlax - What have we accomplished? We have routed Al Qaeda, killed their leader and many of their leadership. We have killed thousands of Taliban. We kicked them out of the country they ruled. We have learned countless lessons about combatting insurgencies, and tested out new weapons and tactics(drones) that were/are very successful. What have we accomplished? Really?
You forgot the 70,000 dead civilians, how to torture people, how to piss on the dead, how to commit rape and mass murder. These are also important learning tools, just as important as learning how to use new weapons of mass murder is. Shame on you for forgetting this important facts.
The USA started this mess when Carter spent BILLIONS of USD; arming & training the Muslim radicals, during the 1970s. The following US Presidents also continued this practice, while bragging about it causing the down-fall of the USSR...
Bush Jr received a AUMF after 9-11 that limited his actions in Afghanistan and after three+months the 'Nation Building' was turned over to the UN and 52+other countries, Dec 2001. During the same year the Taliban had almost eradicated the poppy growth in Afghanistan, according to many UN reports...
Following 9-11 many countries actively fought the AlQaida Terrorist and were very successful; using COORDINATED POLICE and Immigration actions. The numbers of successful terrorist attacks were greatly reduced and criminal convictions increased...
These are the FACTS, prior to the UN & NATO coming in control...
After the UN & Karzai started ruling in Afghanistan, the poppy growth dramatically increased...
When Obama assumed office, things shifted from reducing Large Military Actions and POLICE/IMMIGRATION enforcement, back to the US Military/CIA in control...
Three years later, Obama has KILLED more US Troops than Bush and spent more money, in Afghanistan...
In the name of REDUCING Military deaths the Obama Administration has encouraged the use of 'Armed Drones.' The use of these outside of Military Conflict areas has been questioned by the effected countries, the UN, and Legal Scholars...
IMO - While the CIA states, "There have been ZERO deaths of Inncoents," the World Media investigations have stated, "Thousand of Innocents and hundreds of children have been KILLED." I'm sure the TRUTH lies somewhere between...
The only thing certain is BOTH, the CIA and International Media, have their own agendas...
Last offensive? Sounds like re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic to me. . .
Nailed it.
"One more offensive and it will all be over!" Isn't that what the generals said in Viet Nam???????? Isn't that what the Soviets said thirty years ago???????? What makes them think we're buying this krap??????
One more offensive before we pull out, not one more offensive and it will be over. I think the last offensive should be to get rid of the primary enemy -- Karzai.
Gonna finally nuke'em! Long time coming. Let's get this show on the road! I can't wait to feel the tickle of fallout on my nose.
With Obama as CIC, we're doomed to failure.
Another nonthinking repug?
We've been in Germany and Japan for 67 years. With Afganistan a home base for the Taliban and al Queda, what do you think the realistic likelihood is that we will be "getting out" of Afganistan any time soon?
How wise would that be?
GTFOOA right now!
To attempt this "final push" is pointless. If and when we leave Afghanistan, the Taliban will quickly provide the incompetent Afghani Security Forces with more fight than they are capable of dealing with. The Taliban will take over this $hithole and we will have nothing to show for all of the U.S. troops lives lost and money blown. We should cut our losses and get our Troops home NOW.
Mike - cut and run? I don't want you on my team.
EWUSNRET - I understand and I am usually not of the cut and run mentality. My question is, what have we gained by being in Afghanistan, what will we gain by staying? You mention in other posts that we will be there for another 100 years and I agree that this certainly is possible.
It is tough fighting a war against people that blend into the general population, and against a people who view us as occupiers and don't want us in their country. We are also seeing an infiltration of the Afghan security force by persons who seek to do our Troops harm. How many more U.S. troops should die for what we will or will not gain in Afghanistan?
Can we please just leave? Another offensive? The Taliban is going to be in there in a shot as soon as we depart...let the troops come home and leave these folks to sort out their own mess. Enough...
Why in the world would this be published for all the world to see if it is indeed a "last" offensive.
It's not - we'll be there for a HUNDRED years.
I would have to believe even the enemy would know it is our last spring offensive because GW Bush signed into law stating we would halt combat operations in 2013.
I had forgotten that law that GWB signed. Wow! Going to war with a fixed end date is a unique concept that seems idiotic. We will kill and be killed till the clock runs out? These oval office guys need to spend some time being shot at in some hell hole half way around the world and then maybe they'd have a clearer picture of what they are doing. Maybe not. George HW Bush knew all about combat and the horrors of war and the sad lot that followed him have had no clue. Now is Romney vs Obama? More great choices. Where do we go from here? 12-21-12 is just around the corner.
End of the world believer alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another offensive in this rat hole will only achieve one thing : to kill or wound more U.S. servicemen and women.
What's the point if we are pulling out anyway? Leave today. Close the book on another failed mission. I have seen too much of this in my life time, drafted in 1970, and believe it's time to put America first. That's not to say we stand by during times of international crises, just stop the incursion into cultures so different from ours. We can't change them and they don't want us to.
Hey Mr. President: Wake up and get our soldiers home now. Commander in Chief? Who's really driving the bus? Is Cheney back in the saddle?
God help us all. Maybe the Mayans will be right.
We'll kill the enemy as well.
What do they think ome more year will change. Come home now and save some lives.
Way to go all you media people.....there is nothing like telling the enemy exactly what the future holds!! No wonder the enemies of NATO are not met with too much surprise!! Get classified information to the media and its broadcast all over the world! I just wonder what has ever happened to the meaning of the term "confidential" or "top secret". It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that one of the largest problems in this country is the MEDIA!
I know. What a bunch of dunderheads. Just because you have information does NOT mean you have to be the first to publish it. The 'news media' (info-tainment) is fast becoming a joke. What passes for 'news' really should be on Saturday Night Live instead.
Why don't we just publish the plan of attack also? Good grief - just turnout the lights as we leave and let the cockroaches take BACK over! It is a cesspool to begin with and not much better now.
We' ll be there 100 years. This isn't going to be the last offensive.
If Afghanistan has any hope to survive, it requires a commitment in money and small arms. Failure to commit money and weapons is directly responsible for the failure of Vietnamization. They certainly were able to throw back Easter Offensive with mostly ARVN forces, and smaller offenses before the big '75 push.
We are happy to leave, but I suspect Americans will also pull the money too. I imagine the rug-pulling on Afghanistan will be bipartisan: allowing Republicans to blame Obama for the rest of their days, and the Dems to pin the tail back on Congress, or perhaps Bush Jr.
I bet Bush Jr is glad to be out of the hotseat. He's certainly taking a very low profile, at least in comparison to his father, Carter or Clinton.
It looks like the Taliban beat the US to being the first to start a Spring Offensive.
So, Ralph, are you cheering for them?
@EWUSNRET, you are one repugnant individual, every time someone posts something you have to question there loyalty. You are obviously a military person who has been brain washed until you have no independent thoughts other than the propaganda spooned to you. Go to the VA and get some help for that.
Last offensive for what?
The article states that in 10 years they secured "half the population". Do they really think that they will secure the other half in 20 years?
My, but wars have changed, haven't they?
Nobody seems to win or lose. There is no surrender or armistice - just a withdrawal after one last major offensive.
And of course, nobody seems really that interested in winning over the hearts and minds of the people. Add insult to injury, and you have foreign invaders who don't give the least damn about the culture, language and customs of the people in the place that they invaded.
When the coalition leaves, I will bet on the "enemy" returning.
Why?
It is their homeland, and they know it well. They are a part of the indigenous people.
We are foreigners.
NEXT?
Out of approximately 90,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan maybe 10-15% are actual ground troops. That means at most 10,000-13,500 will be on the last major spring offensive depending how many are available to actually serve. Many of this number are on security duty or have various profiles and can't walk say because of medical reasons. Total may fall below 10,000 troops available.
Time to go!!!
Good- once we're done with this 'major offensive' do we get to come home for good? Didn't think so!
Welcome to the fall of Saigon, part 2.
Mybe I missed it somewhere, but how do the Taliban keep getting supplied with the arms they have? Covertly China, Russia, Pakistan? Take away their supplies and it's sticks and stones....
For the past 10 years they have been coverly armed and there's been no news stories that I remember or read about it.
Iran is supplying them.
forgotten note on history here, the US supplied them when they were fighting the russkies
now they fought us and the russkies supply them, turnabout fair play??