Hundreds of Taliban Invade Villages Surrounding Kandahar

This is shaping up to be one helluva showdown. First, let's look at part of the report coming from Breitbart:

Hundreds of Taliban fighters invaded villages just outside Afghanistan's second-largest city Monday, forcing NATO and Afghan troops to rush in while frightened residents fled.
The Taliban assault on the outskirts of Kandahar is the latest display of prowess by the militants despite a record number of U.S. and NATO troops in the country.
The push into the Arghandab district—a lush region filled with grape and pomegranate groves that the Soviet army could never conquer—comes three days after a Taliban attack on Kandahar's prison that freed 400 insurgent fighters.
Those fighters, NATO conceded Monday, appear to be massing on the doorstep of the Taliban's former power base. The city of Kandahar lies only 10 miles to the southeast.

The fact that the Taliban performed such a decisive and well-planned breach of the prison in Kandahar is further proof that they have been planning this surge into the areas surrounding Kandahar for some time.

The disturbing part of this new action by the Taliban is summed up in the article:

A large river bisects Arghandab's fertile lands. The east side, closest to Kandahar, is controlled by NATO and Afghan troops, Farooq said. The area to the river's west is now controlled by the Taliban.
"And Arghandab, as Mullah Naqib proved during the anti-Soviet jihad, is a formidable place for a resistance movement to be based. Once well ensconced there, the Taliban would be nearly impossible to dislodge."
During the Russian war, the Russians didn't even occupy Arghandab, because when they fought here they suffered big casualties."

So, in essence we have NATO and Afghan on one side of this area, a big bunch of Taliban on the other side and it's gonna be showdown time. I think the thing that has changed in the mindset of NATO and U.S. leaders in Afghanistan is that we cannot let the Taliban gain hold and hunker down. I'm not sure how long a counter-offensive will happen here but it will more than likely be a real nasty one. It's been a very long, long time since we've seen these numbers of Taliban massed in one area. Hopefully, we can get the villagers out of the area so some serious air strikes can start off the gutting.

Taliban take over villages near Kandahar

"Three days ago, inside of a 30-minute operation, the Taliban freed hundreds of prisoners, and NATO, the Canadians, the Americans, didn't do anything," said Mohammad Asif, 30, of Kandahar. "Now more than 500 Taliban are living in Arghandab. They are occupying the region."
Mohammad Farooq, the government leader in Arghandab, said about 500 Taliban fighters moved into his district and took over several villages. He said families were fleeing even as Canadian, U.S. and Afghan forces were moving in.
A large river bisects Arghandab's fertile lands. The east side, closest to Kandahar, is controlled by NATO and Afghan troops, Farooq said. The area to the river's west is now controlled by the Taliban.
"The Taliban told us to leave. They are planting mines everywhere," said Shafiq Khan, who was moving his wife, seven children and brother out of Arghandab in a small truck late Monday. Khan reported that helicopters were patrolling the skies. "The people are scared," he said by cell phone.
Arghandab lies just northwest of Kandahar, and a tribal leader from the region warned that the militants could use the cover from Arghandab's orchards to mount an attack on the city.
"All of Arghandab is made of orchards. The militants can easily hide and easily fight," said Haji Ikramullah Khan. "It's quite close to Kandahar. During the Russian war, the Russians didn't even occupy Arghandab, because when they fought here they suffered big casualties."
Security in Kandahar had been increased noticeably. Police with rockets on their shoulders kept lookout from the roof of police headquarters, and the few remaining aid groups in town added guards.
NATO spokesman Mark Laity said NATO and Afghan military officials were redeploying troops to the region to "meet any potential threats."
"It's fair to say that the jailbreak has put a lot of people (militants) into circulation who weren't there before, and so obviously you're going to respond to that potential threat," he said.
One Taliban fighter who escaped from the Kandahar prison Friday said he plans on rejoining the insurgency.