Afghan and NATO Forces Move Into Area Near Kandahar

I'm still not completely sure about the reports of the huge buildup of Taliban around Kandahar, more specifically in the Arghandab district. Reports earlier this week were that up to 1000 Taliban had taken over seven villages in Arghandab and although it is logical that the Taliban would want this area desparately, the Pentagon is denying this kind of buildup. Here's some from the report at Breitbart:

Troops in Arghandab district just outside of Kandahar exchanged fire with militants during "a few minor contacts" but there were no immediate reports of casualties, NATO spokesman Mark Laity said. Helicopters patrolled the skies and smoke rose from fields after exchanges of fire.

Canadian military officials who patrolled through Arghandab over the last day reported "no obvious signs" of insurgent activity. But that didn't mean there were no Taliban there, a news release said. Pentagon officials said reports of hundreds of Taliban in Arghandab were being overstated.

It's my belief that the Taliban HAVE moved into Arghandab in force but not nearly to the numbers first reported - my guess is that there are somewhere between 200 and 300. That is still a large concentration and they need to be gutted from the area, but as the article states, this area is a bitch for NATO forces to clean out as it is a grape and pomegranate growing area just full of trees - a serious disadvantage to NATO helicopter efforts.

With the Canadians there now along with good numbers of Afghan troops, I'm sure the next few days will be telling and we'll get an idea just how many Taliban are holed up in Arghandab.

NATO, Afghan troops move against Taliban

ARGHANDAB, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan and Canadian forces moved into a series of villages outside of southern Afghanistan's largest city Wednesday to root out any Taliban militants there, while an explosion elsewhere killed four British soldiers, officials said.
Troops in Arghandab district just outside of Kandahar exchanged fire with militants during "a few minor contacts" but there were no immediate reports of casualties, NATO spokesman Mark Laity said. Helicopters patrolled the skies and smoke rose from fields after exchanges of fire.
A helicopter landed in a field near the fighting and appeared to evacuate a casualty. Large Canadian military vehicles and Afghan police trucks were moving through the region.
"As of this morning we've expanded operations into Arghandab," Laity said. "Canadian troops are in support" of the Afghan National Army.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense on Tuesday said between 300 and 400 militant fighters were operating in Arghandab—a lush region of pomegranate and grape fields that lies 10 miles northwest of Kandahar city, the Taliban's spiritual home.
Canadian military officials who patrolled through Arghandab over the last day reported "no obvious signs" of insurgent activity. But that didn't mean there were no Taliban there, a news release said. Pentagon officials said reports of hundreds of Taliban in Arghandab were being overstated.
But Afghan officials and witnesses said Taliban fighters destroyed bridges and planted mines after overrunning the Arghandab villages on Monday. Local police said hundreds of farm families have fled, fearing upcoming military operations.
Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defense said Wednesday that four British soldiers were killed when an explosive was detonated against their vehicle during a patrol in neighboring Helmand province on Tuesday. At least one soldier was wounded.
It was one of the deadliest attacks of the year on international troops. Four U.S. Marines were killed in a roadside bomb in nearby Farah province earlier this month, but prior to that, no more than three international troops had been killed in any one attack in Afghanistan this year.
The Taliban have long sought to control Arghandab and the good fighting positions its pomegranate and grape groves offer. With control cemented, militants could cross the countryside's flat plains for probing attacks into Kandahar, in possible preparation for an assault on their former spiritual home.
Haji Agha Lalai, a provincial council member and the head of the province's reconciliation commission—which brings former insurgents who lay down their weapons back into the folds of society—said the militants were destroying bridges and planting mines as defensive measures in hopes they can repel attacks from Afghan and NATO forces.
"From a strategic military point of view, Arghandab is a very good place for the Taliban," Lalai said. "Arghandab is close to Kandahar city, allowing the Taliban to launch ambushes and attacks more easily than any other place in the province. Secondly, it's covered with trees and gardens. They can easily hide from air strikes."