Taliban 'on the run' in southern Afghanistan

Taliban 'on the run' in southern Afghanistan

www.guardian.co.uk

The Taliban have been tactically routed in southern Afghanistan, with enemy forces 'licking their wounds' after a series of emphatic defeats, say senior British military commanders.

In one of the most bullish assessments yet of the conflict in Helmand province, Brigadier Gordon Messenger said the Taliban's command structure had been 'fractured' and its fighters forced on to the backfoot.

As British forces continue to consolidate positions throughout the Helmand valley, Messenger said latest intelligence indicated that the ferocious fighting that had defined Helmand for the past two summers was unlikely to be repeated. 'It's become apparent that the Taliban are very much on the backfoot. Their leadership both south of the border [Pakistan] and also their local leadership has been severely dislocated and fractured.

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This is interesting, especially coupled with the CIA's recent assessment that al-Qaeda is on the run in Saudi Arabia and Iraq (see additional news links).

Could this be the breakthrough in Afghanistan that we've sought since 2001? Or is it just a bit of propaganda?

www.guardian.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Great news! Now they can get on with the job of eradicating the huge opium trade and the thousands of acres of poppies instead of merely patrolling or guarding them.