First of all, the activity by the Taliban over the past two weeks show for sure that the spring offensive this year is definitely turned up compared to the last two years. And then, today we see a bit of a reversal from the past....the Taliban attacked a PAKISTANI police station crossing the border FROM AFGHANISTAN! That's right...after many years of seeking safe haven in Pakistan and moving across the Afghan/Pakistan border to attack targets inside of Afghanistan, we saw today a complete reversal of that. Now, why is that?
Let's look at the reason from The Long War Journal:
The Taliban reportedly launched today's attack from across the border in the Afghan province of Kunar, where the Taliban and al Qaeda have established safe havens after US forces withdrew from remote valleys.
That was one of the "gifts" that General McChrystal gave our efforts in Afghanistan...to withdraw from many of the remote FOB's.
Here's more details from the attack:
A large group of Taliban fighters crossed over from Afghanistan and attacked a police station in a remote area of Pakistan today. Seven policemen have been reported killed during the fighting.
A Taliban force estimated at more than 200 fighters who were described as "very well armed with light and heavy weapons" attacked a police station in the village of Shaldalo in Upper Dir in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, sparking a clash that lasted several hours. Some of the fighters were said to be wearing military uniforms, although it is unclear if the uniforms are Afghan or Pakistani.
Pakistani helicopter gunships are reported to have been called in to support the beleaguered police force. Seven policemen were killed and the Taliban force dispersed into the forest.
Now, one thing to notice regarding the attack is the size of the Taliban force...over 200. The fact that the Taliban could congregate 200 Taliban in one spot inside of Taliban prior to this assault is more than disturbing. We have drones flying over Pakistan killing 4-8 Taliban at a time....well, can you imagine what an F-15 would have done to a force of 200 of them as they descending upon the Pakistani border? Did we know they were there and couldn't put up some air power due to the fear of backlash by Afghan President Karzai? I want to know why U.S. predators aren't flying daily routes over the Afghan side of the border.
Like I've asked before...are we gonna fight these dirty bastards or not?
Taliban launch attack on Pakistani police outpost from Afghanistan
A large group of Taliban fighters crossed over from Afghanistan and attacked a police station in a remote area of Pakistan today. Seven policemen have been reported killed during the fighting.
A Taliban force estimated at more than 200 fighters who were described as "very well armed with light and heavy weapons" attacked a police station in the village of Shaldalo in Upper Dir in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, sparking a clash that lasted several hours. Some of the fighters were said to be wearing military uniforms, although it is unclear if the uniforms are Afghan or Pakistani.
Pakistani helicopter gunships are reported to have been called in to support the beleaguered police force. Seven policemen were killed and the Taliban force dispersed into the forest.
The Taliban reportedly launched today's attack from across the border in the Afghan province of Kunar, where the Taliban and al Qaeda have established safe havens after US forces withdrew from remote valleys.
The Taliban launched a similar attack on April 22, when more than 400 fighters from Kunar mounted an assault on a police checkpoint in Kharakhai in the district of Lower Dir. The Taliban overran the outpost, killing 16 Pakistani security personnel, five of whom were beheaded.
Two major Taliban groups operate in the region, one commanded by Qari Zai Rahman, and another by Mullah Fazlullah.
Qari Zai Rahman is the dual-hatted Taliban and al Qaeda leader who operates in Pakistan's tribal agencies of Bajaur and Mohmand, as well as in Afghanistan's provinces of Kunar and Nuristan. ISAF and Afghan forces have been hunting Rahman for more than a year.
Mullah Fazlullah commands the Taliban forces in the district of Swat, which borders Dir to the east. Fazlullah's forces openly ruled Swat and neighboring districts from 2007 until April 2009, when the Pakistani military launched an operation to eject the Taliban. Fazlullah and most of his top leaders evaded the operation and have sheltered along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
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