Western soldiers killed in Marja

[Geel_jire]

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - Following the deadliest day yet for coalition forces seeking to drive the Taliban from the town of Marja in southern Afghanistan, another Western service member was killed Friday by small-arms fire, military officials said.

 

Surprisingly accurate Taliban snipers, together with intricate webs of roadside bombs, slowed the progress of the offensive as it neared the end of its first week.

Commanders say key goals are being met, but they acknowledge that clearing operations around the town probably will take about a month.

 

A Western military statement said "determined pockets of resistance" in Marja persisted Friday in the form of sometimes- intense firefights and ambushes. The nationality of the latest fatality was not immediately disclosed, but the circumstances were described as a "small-arms fire attack."

 

U.S. Marines seized a strongly defended compound south of Marja that appeared to have been a Taliban headquarters, the Associated Press reported. They found photos of fighters posing with their weapons, dozens of Taliban- issued ID cards and graduation diplomas from a training camp in Pakistan.

 

A day earlier, six service members with NATO's International Security Assistance Force were killed by explosions and small-arms fire. That doubled the coalition toll to date in the operation, which, including Friday's death, now stands at 12 Western troops and one Afghan soldier killed in action.

 

About 120 insurgents have been killed, Afghan officials estimate.

 

Though the U.S. Marines spearheading the attack in Helmand province are far better trained and armed, the insurgents have had some success with classic guerrilla tactics.

 

Taliban sharpshooters had long had a reputation for being anything but. However, coalition field officers say they have been encountering snipers considerably more skilled -- in part, perhaps, because the insurgents had many months to prepare for this battle.

 

The Marines heavily publicized plans to seize Marja, in hopes that less committed insurgents would leave and civilians in the area would be spared an even bigger battle.

 

As it is, the offensive is the largest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that drove the Taliban from power.

 

The Western assault began Feb. 13 with troops being airlifted over Taliban front lines and miles of minefields and dropped in the town center. That tactic was repeated on a much smaller scale Friday, when elite Marine reconnaissance squads were airdropped into areas where snipers were known to be operating, the Associated Press reported.

 

At the outset of the assault, the Marines' commander, Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, had expressed optimism that key sites could be secured by nightfall of the first day. That goal has largely been achieved, said British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, who is the top regional commander, but it took nearly a full week of fighting.

 

Carter, speaking Thursday by videolink, told reporters at the Pentagon that the "end of the beginning" was at hand in Marja, but that it probably would take several more weeks to fully secure the town. At this point, coalition troops -- U.S., British and Afghan -- control major roadways and bazaars, and Afghan police have begun arriving to help with the transition from warfare back to some semblance of normal life for residents.

 

Coalition officials hope that attention can be shifted soon to governance-building. As soon as Marja is deemed secure enough, a newly appointed deputy district governor will be brought in to begin overseeing the restoration of public services. During the time that the town has been a Taliban stronghold, schools closed and government authority vanished.

 

Elsewhere in Nad Ali district, where Marja is located, the military said "stabilization projects" such as repairing canals and opening schools had begun.

 

Military officials have also been attending shuras, traditional gatherings of tribal leaders.

ah the arrogance and the hubris of falling for your own propaganda ... "We will secure it by nightfall" they said ... not such a walk in the park is it ?

 

 

It is not called the graveyard of empires for nothing

[Cara.]

So 1 Western soldier is killed for every 10 Taliban soldiers. Militarily, that seems like the graveyard of insurgents :confused:

[Castro]

^^^^ 120 people killed not necessarily armed. When NATO and US soldiers get killed, they call for air support that clears out entire villages with massive bombs from 10,000 ft above. And if you think proportionality, 10-1 ratio for a side that is 100 to 1 or 1000 to 1 out-equipped and out-trained, I would think the Afghans should be pretty happy with the enemy kill ratio.

 

The Afghans are at home and liberating their homeland from foreign invasion and occupation. It is the cannon fodder (a.k.a. NATO and US forces) who are paying the ultimate price for hubris.

[Rayyan]

A Christian collision with their ar.s.ekissers fighting on that Afaqaani-waste lands, equipped with the world’s latest technology, though they destroyed their lives and their little worldly materials, heaped upon them anything that explodes, kills and maims. They didn’t turn the tail but they stand up and fight to the end. That was the confessions of British military officer from the British battle hardened Desert rats, a highly trained battalion, of the british army. truth of the matter is they dont come to heel. as proud as ever,in life and in death.

[Geel_jire]

Cara

 

That figure contains both civilians and fighters.

 

and keeping in mind the huge difference in men (quantity not quality), Weaponry (airstrike).

 

I think that ratio is pretty impressive .. and goes to show the bravery of the average afghan citizen.