The crash of an American helicopter on August 7 with the loss of 30 men, many of whom were elite Navy SEALs, brought the highest casualties of any event in the decade-long U.S. war in Afghanistan. How did it happen and what does it tell us about the situation in Afghanistan?
This event took place took place in the Tangi valley of Maidan Wardak province in the eastern part of the country. It is known as a Taliban-controlled area. Frequent U.S.-led night raids have apparently won the insurgents more popular support among generally xenophobic Afghans. Night raids have been one of the most successful tactics used by foreign troops hunting insurgents who hide among Afghan civilians but are also quite risky, especially in unfriendly territory like the Tangi valley.
Most of those killed were members of SEAL Team 6, part of the US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). Those units spearheaded the raid in Pakistan that killed Usama bin Ladin. Was this attack, then, revenge for bin Ladin’s death? If it is seen that way in Afghanistan and Pakistan that would constitute a considerable defeat for the United States as its enemies would then exaggerate their ability to retaliate and be incited to fight harder.
While more intelligence has to be collected to confirm whether this might be the case, the operation itself was certainly a deliberate, planned effort on the Taliban’s part. As the special operation team moved through the valley, it soon saw insurgents armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket- propelled grenade launchers, the most common weapons used by insurgent foot soldiers.
A senior Afghan government official explained that Taliban commander Qari Tahir lured U.S. forces into an ambush by feeding them false information about an important meeting of insurgent leaders taking place there. He also said that four Pakistanis helped Tahir carry out the operation.
American retaliation was militarily successful to some extent though not necessarily politically so. A group of 15 militants fled the valley immediately after the clash and took refuge in the safe house in the neighboring Chak District.
Shortly after midnight, International Security Assistance Forces hit the safe house and killed 13 Taliban soldiers, while two escaped, according to Afghan government sources and villagers. The Taliban forces were part of the Mullah Muhibullah network that operated in the valley, deploying both military forces and suicide bombers. Muhibullah and one of his chief lieutenants were among those killed.The U.S. forces thus showed their ability to locate insurgents and go after them effectively. But the Taliban also showed their skill at infiltrating the Afghan government and feeding false information to mislead NATO forces. The Taliban’s growing strength was also indicated by its ability to kill several high-ranking government officials despite their tight security, including the powerful half-brother of Afghan president Ahmed Wali Karzai, a leading figure in Kandahar.
The Taliban will likely attack more often as the timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops is implemented. The question is how and whether the NATO forces and the Afghan government can counter this trend. Heavy U.S. casualties might persuade the American government to pull out faster and can certainly persuade Afghans that the Taliban might well be the winning side in the aftermath.
Strategy Page has a different take: http://metanoodle.blogspot.com/2011/08/lucky-shot-downed-seals-taliban-unlucky.html
No one seems to be discussing why it wasn’t kept top secret that it was SEAL TEAM 6 that killed OBL.
This is the fault of Obama … who was too self-involved to make sure that all lips were sealed.
Had it not been known it was SEAL TEAM 6, this ambush would never have occurred.
This ought to be a major subject of discussion.
Let’s face it Loose Lips has had one success in his tenure and that was on the backs of Seal Team 6. The rest of his efforts have failed miserably and will continue to fail because he is only in it for the money he can scam off “investors”. He and the wife are both grifters of the first order.
The Taliban is not getting stronger. Even a monkey can hit something by accident.
How stupid are these people? If the Taliban would just play dead for 6 months we are out of there.
What happens when you abandon the mission too early for political reasons, leaving a too small cadre of fighters who get pinned down & have to have help from the SEALS.
….how many out there actually believe any of the pakistan story that osama bin laden was killed in the raid.
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I DO NOT. I think he was dead for years. he was a narcissist like his buddy BO and would have to have his face on TV at least as much if he was in fact alive.
conveniently no one has seen his body ….at least I have yet to hear anyone leak that they had seen his body. even in the one hour CSI shows it takes long to match a DNA sample.
…oh right his wives are talking. YEAH RIGHT …TO WHO ?
I have no doubt some raid took place, but the helicopter wreckage definitely looks fake. Locals heard helicopters for hours so they weren’t too stealthy.
Then the contrived New Yorker Magazine article comes out with a story that doesn’t match any of the hundreds of versions the White House put out. …and now a movie starring obama to be finished in time to help the 2012 elections. WOW are we being played.