According to the New York Times, an outposting of 13 Afghan soldiers was overwhelmed by over 200 Taliban fighters yesterday. It’s a favorite method of the taliban to use overwhelming force like that when they directly attack. US troops have faced such odds at the Ranch House, COP Keating, and other battles, the difference being that US troops were able to call for indirect fire and air strikes to save themselves. Thanks to Taliban chief\/Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, the Afghan Army no longer has that option.<\/p>\n
It was one of the bloody insurgent attacks in the current spring offensive that have helped drive the rate of government fatalities to the highest level of the war. Afghan soldiers and police officers are dying at more than double the rate of a year ago, according to military officials.<\/p>\n
The numbers both underscore how much more of the fighting has been handed over to Afghan forces and raise questions about how ready those forces are for the increased responsibility, even as the insurgents ratchet up their much-anticipated spring onslaught.<\/p>\n
There have been a number of high-profile insurgent attacks on the ground this year, not just the remote-control and suicide bombings the Taliban favored in the past. The shift suggests that they are testing how well Afghan forces can operate on their own at a critical juncture in the planned withdrawal of the American military. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Of course, knowing that we’re rushing for the exits and there’s date certain for our withdrawal doesn’t seem to be scaring the Taliban senseless. They pretty much know that the Afghans aren’t completely ready to assume their duties, and these massive attacks and large number of casualties will only help them to scare the Afghans into submission.<\/p>\n