BY BILL ROGGIO
As The New York Times noted, Jaghuri, which is considered to survive “Afghanistan’s Shangri-La,” has until at ane time been immune from the Taliban’s insurgency, despite that fact that it is located inward Ghazni province, which has been a hotbed of Taliban activity. Jaghuri’s population of 600,000 is predominantly Hazara in addition to are opposed to the Taliban. The Taliban has isolated the remote district past times cutting off roads, but refrained from attacking it.
Until now.
Last week, Taliban fighters (more than 1,000 of them, according to the Times) pressed their onslaught into Jaghuri spell likewise assaulting other districts inward Ghazni. Reports from Ghazni, such every bit this ane from Khaama Press on Nov. 7, parroted the official Afghan authorities work that the Taliban was “pushed” from the district every bit armed forces reinforcements arrived. TOLONews echoed this persuasion on Nov. 7, when it quoted Interior ministry building spokesman Najib Danish.
“Enough equipment has arrived via air to our forces in addition to backup forces cause got been deployed there. The province of affairs is nether our control, but clashes are yet ongoing,” said Danish told the tidings agency.
Yet, every bit the Times reported, past times Nov. 11, the province of affairs inward Jaghuri was inward disarray. Security forces cause got all but collapsed. An Afghan Army Special Forces commando companionship which was sent to Jaghuri to aid shore upward the local militia that secured the district, was rendered combat ineffective. Of the 50 members of the Special Forces commando company, xxx were killed in addition to 10 to a greater extent than were wounded.
The commander of the Hazara militia was killed in addition to 3 of his sons are missing. Local Afghan officials pleaded amongst a delegation from Kabul to transportation reinforcements, but none came, despite promises. An official from the Ministry of the Interior downplayed the deaths of the commandos, in addition to claimed they were local militiamen, despite the fact that the bodies of the soldiers beingness stacked inward front end of him were wearing commando uniforms.
As of Nov. 11, Afghan officials in addition to all those who could run out the district were attempting to create so. The Taliban are said to survive but miles from the district center, where the remaining security forces in addition to militia are holed up.
Afghan forces seemingly on the brink of collapse
The Taliban’s rout of the commandos in addition to collapse of Afghan forces inward Jaghuri, in addition to the government’s inability to transportation reinforcements, should come upward every bit no surprise. The Afghan armed forces in addition to constabulary forces cause got been unable to defend Afghanistan’s rural areas in addition to cause got been overrun at a host of bases, outposts, in addition to checkpoints throughout the province over the past times several years. The Taliban overran 4 meaning bases inward the first of all 6 days of this month. Since the get-go of this year, the Taliban has routed a commando company inward Ajristan district Ghazni, in addition to inflicted heavy casualties on Afghan Special Forces inward Farah.
To remedy the problem, the the U.S. of A. armed forces in addition to Resolute Support – NATO’s command inward Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan – advised Afghanistan’s ministries of defence forcefulness in addition to interior to line dorsum from rural areas in addition to defend to a greater extent than populous areas. In theory, this should cause got preserved Afghan forces in addition to defended the mass of Afghanistan’s population from the predations of the Taliban. In practice, it has resulted inward a degraded security province of affairs in addition to has pose the Taliban inward an fifty-fifty ameliorate seat to threaten in addition to onslaught Afghanistan’s population centers.
While the U.S. of A. in addition to Afghan armed forces officials cause got claimed that Afghanistan’s remote areas are strategically insignificant, the Taliban has used its mastery of them every bit a springboard to cause got the teach by to to a greater extent than populated areas. In these remote districts, the Taliban has established its shadow government, which it uses to spread its ideology in addition to farther its armed forces aims. Here, the Taliban taxes the local populations, recruits fighters, establishes preparation camps in addition to armed forces stockpiles, spell using these areas every bit staging points to onslaught neighboring districts. In the south, the Taliban controls in addition to hotly contests a band of districts, panning from Ghazni in addition to Zabul inward the E all the way into Helmand, Nimruz, in addition to Farah inward the due west that it uses to cause got the teach by to the Afghan government. Over the past times 6 months, this security haven was used to launch major incursions into Ghazni in addition to Farah cities.
The Afghan armed forces has been unable to stop the Taliban’s tardily but inexorable attacks that cause got taken house inward all regions of the country. The size of the Afghan armed forces has decreased at a fourth dimension when more, in addition to non less, soldiers in addition to policemen are needed to stave off the Taliban assault. Over the past times year, the size of the Afghan security forces has decreased past times some 9,000 personnel due to casualties, desertions, in addition to failure to reenlist.
The Taliban clearly has the first in addition to Afghan forces are on the defensive inward many areas inward Afghanistan. It is unclear how long the Afghan security forces tin sack endure losses such every bit the ane inward Jaghuri. Casualties are at an all fourth dimension high, in addition to the cumulative outcome on morale of Afghan forces cannot easily survive measured since elite forces in addition to armed forces in addition to constabulary bases are overrun amongst shocking regularity, at this betoken on a close daily basis.
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in addition to the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
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