http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/afghanistan/2010-11-18-afghanistan-co\ alition-progress_N.htm <http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/afghanistan/2010-11-18-afghanistan-c\ oalition-progress_N.htm> Allies say they're gaining ground in Afghanistan
By Virginia Mayo, AP A man walks by a logo printed on a wall inside the NATO summit venue in Lisbon on Thursday. Heads of State of NATO member countries gather for a two-day summit beginning on Friday, and will discuss such topics as Afghanistan and missile defense. By Jim Michaels <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/reporter/Jim+Michaels> , USA TODAY Coalition forces have increased the pace of military operations in Afghanistan <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Places,+Geography/Countries/Af\ ghanistan> to record levels. Commanders say they are achieving successes against the Taliban <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Military+and+Par\ amilitary/Taliban> as President Obama leaves for a NATO summit to discuss with allies when Afghans can handle their own security. Coalition forces dropped a record 1,000 bombs and other munitions in October, up from 660 a year earlier, according to coalition statistics. The number of Special Forces-led raids against insurgent leaders has increased sixfold over last year. "We've had some significant successes in the last six weeks," said Canadian air force Lt. Col. Alex Day, deputy chief of the coalition's air operations control center. "We're going to press home the advantage." The intensified activity comes just before the traditional lull in winter operations and months before the scheduled start of U.S. troop withdrawals in the summer. The winter months are historically quiet periods when insurgents retreat to sanctuaries in Pakistan <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Places,+Geography/Countries/Pa\ kistan> to rest and train. "Hopefully it will deal a major blow to the Taliban before they can cross back to their sanctuaries in Pakistan," said Jim Phillips, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Non-profits,+Act\ ivist+Groups/Heritage+Foundation> . The number of coalition forces, which includes about 100,000 U.S. troops, is at its peak, and the White House said it will begin withdrawing forces next July. The pace of that reduction will depend on security conditions, it has said. One focus of the NATO summit is a U.S. plan to complete the transition of security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. "It's a process that begins in early 2011 with the target of completion at the end of 2014," said Lt. Gen. Doug Lute, a special assistant to the president for Afghanistan and Iraq. Sen. John McCain <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Politicians,+Government\ +Officials,+Strategists/U.S.+Senators/John+McCain> , who has been critical of the July date to begin withdrawing U.S. forces, welcomes the shift in focus to 2014 because it emphasizes how long U.S. forces will be there. "I think it's a significant shift in recognition of reality and conditions on the ground," McCain said. "It's also a recognition that the July 2011 date was an invitation to failure." The coalition command has said it plans to press the attack against insurgents during the winter, but that will be difficult if militants leave the battlefield. "They will retreat back to their safe havens to wait out the winter months," Day said. "We'll try and keep the pressure on as much as possible." The impact on the Taliban may not become clear until the snows melt in the spring. "We'll know more about their strength when the fighting resumes," McCain said. The heart of the coalition's counterinsurgency strategy as laid out by Gen. David Petraeus <http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Military/David+Petraeus\ > is to protect civilians by neutralizing the Taliban and build the legitimacy of the Afghan government. Military operations are necessary to weaken the leadership and organization of insurgent groups, the Pentagon says. Convincing the public that the Taliban is losing helps win over the population, military analysts say. "Historically, Afghans tend to defect to the winning side," Phillips said. The coalition has stepped up raids targeted at insurgent leaders. Special Forces troops have conducted 1,572 operations over the past three months, capturing or killing 368 insurgent leaders, according to coalition statistics. An additional 3,445 insurgents were killed or captured during the raids. "We have basically dramatically reduced the mid-level Taliban presence, which then gives pause to lower-level Taliban," McCain said. The targeted raids reflect a better intelligence picture of the enemy a picture that continues to get better as leaders are captured and intelligence seized. "We've broke the code in a way," said Dave Barno, a retired lieutenant general who commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan. "This is a new dimension in the fight," said Barno, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. Conventional forces, charged with clearing the enemy and helping to protect the population, have also achieved battlefield successes. The rate at which roadside bombs are discovered and cleared in Regional Command South, which includes Kandahar, has increased 70% over the three weeks before Nov. 4, according to coalition statistics. Eleven percent of roadside bombs in the region were effective. To become lasting, the tactical successes on the battlefield need to lead to broader political and economic successes, according to Petraeus. "We've done a good job on clear and hold," McCain said. "We have a long, long way to go on the build portion of counterinsurgency." <http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/afghanistan/2010-11-18-afghanistan-c\ oalition-progress_N.htm> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, discuss-os...@yahoogroups.com. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor biso...@intellnet.org http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: osint-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: osint-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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