What a wonderful thing to see the Taliban experiencing all of the drama and internal unrest of a sick and dying movement based on lies and deceit. It warms my heart to see Mullah Omar have to sneak out of his cave in the middle of winter to conduct interviews. And it is a glorious sight to see the senior commander for the southern Afghanistand region, Monsoor Dadullah out in the cold so soon after he vowed to avenge his brother's death (his brother is the leader the Coalitions turned into hamburger).
No one seems to know for sure the exact reasons for Dadullah's firing but the word "insubordination" has been thrown out there. So let me try to use some conjecture. The NATO and Afghan forces just celebrated a huge victory at Musa Qala - taking over that village that had been in Taliban hands for years. We killed upwards of 200 Taliban at the firefight and as they turned tail and tried to make it to the mountains. And Musa Qala is in Helmand province. Now, let's see. Who was in charge of Helmand province for the Taliban? Anybody? :Slaps Forehead: That's right! Good oly Mullah Monsoor Dadullah was in charge of Helmand province!
Here's the deal. The Musa Qala victory was a huge psychological victory for the Coalition and NATO. Everyone knew that and the Taliban tried to downplay the loss, so much so that even al Qaeda #2, Ayman al-Zawahirri, tried to downplay it.
The fact is this. The Taliban got embarassed in front of the world by NATO and Afghan forces. They couldn't even hold one of their longest-held strongholds and now Mullah Omar, the head dog at Taliban HQ is pissed and heads are rolling (not literally yet) - and Monsoor Dadullah is out. Kinda wonder what you do for work after being fired by the Taliban?
Here's the full report and wonderful coverage from The Long War Journal.
No one seems to know for sure the exact reasons for Dadullah's firing but the word "insubordination" has been thrown out there. So let me try to use some conjecture. The NATO and Afghan forces just celebrated a huge victory at Musa Qala - taking over that village that had been in Taliban hands for years. We killed upwards of 200 Taliban at the firefight and as they turned tail and tried to make it to the mountains. And Musa Qala is in Helmand province. Now, let's see. Who was in charge of Helmand province for the Taliban? Anybody? :Slaps Forehead: That's right! Good oly Mullah Monsoor Dadullah was in charge of Helmand province!
Here's the deal. The Musa Qala victory was a huge psychological victory for the Coalition and NATO. Everyone knew that and the Taliban tried to downplay the loss, so much so that even al Qaeda #2, Ayman al-Zawahirri, tried to downplay it.
The fact is this. The Taliban got embarassed in front of the world by NATO and Afghan forces. They couldn't even hold one of their longest-held strongholds and now Mullah Omar, the head dog at Taliban HQ is pissed and heads are rolling (not literally yet) - and Monsoor Dadullah is out. Kinda wonder what you do for work after being fired by the Taliban?
Here's the full report and wonderful coverage from The Long War Journal.
Taliban dismisses senior Afghan commander
By Bill Roggio
December 29, 2007 9:07 PM
As 2007 comes to a close, the Taliban has dismissed its senior military commander in southern Afghanistan. Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, a senior military commander, was relieved of his command by Mullah Omar, according to a statement. Dadullah was accused of insubordination.
"Mullah Mansoor Dadullah has been dismissed as the Taliban commander because he disobeyed the orders of the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told AFP. "Therefore it was decided not to appoint any post in the emirate to him," Mujahed concluded.
Mansoor was the military commander of Taliban forces in the strategic southern provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan, and Zabul provinces. He took command of Taliban forces in May of this year after his brother Mullah Dadullah Ahkund, a popular but brutal and effective commander, was killed by British special forces in Helmand province.
Pro-Taliban supporters shout slogans during a rally in Killi Nalai [AP]. Click to view.
Mansoor eulogized his brother in May via videotape to a large gathering of 10,000 Taliban supporters in Baluchistan province in Pakistan. "The blood of my brother will never go waste. We will never forget his sacrifices, and the role of other martyrs,” Mansoor said. "We will complete Dadullah's mission by expelling Americans and liberating Afghanistan." The crowd chanted, "Long live Mullah Omar, Long Live Osama bin Laden and Taliban movement."
Afghan and Coalition forces drove the Taliban from the former stronghold of Musa Qala. The Taliban fled without putting up much of a fight. Over 2,000 fighters were said to be in Musa Qala. It is unclear if the loss of Musa Qala and other Taliban failures in southern Afghanistan attributed to Mansoor's dismissal.
Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman for eastern Afghanistan, did not provide details behind Dadullah's dismissal. Matt Dupee, a contributor to Afgha.com and The Long War Journal, indicated there are "ongoing rifts within the Taliban's upper echelon" over the past year.
"The Taliban’s decision to remove Shah Mansoor as their key commander in the southern areas is a significant development," said Dupee. "Not only does it highlight the ongoing rifts within the Taliban’s upper echelon, but it follows their removal from Helmand’s Musa Qala district and a long list of successful Coalition operations against their command and control capabilities."
No comments:
Post a Comment