TALIBAN ONSLAUGHTS SHOW AFGHAN INABILITY TO COPE
▶ Ignored warnings and slow government response to army base and Ghazni raids raise questions
Two Taliban offensives have exposed the failure of the Afghan government to counter the militants, handing them a strong position for peace talks.
Taliban fighters overran an army base in the northern Afghan province of Faryab, officials said yesterday, killing at least 17 soldiers with dozens feared captured.
It was a significant blow to security forces struggling to push insurgents from the eastern city of Ghazni.
Rahimullah Yusufzai, a Taliban expert, said the militants had no desire to hold the strategically important city of Ghazni, less than 150 kilometres south from Kabul – they just wanted to show it was possible.
“The strategy is to launch big attacks, to show their power, hold the city or town for some days, get their prisoners released, capture some weapons, get some money, create fear and then leave,” Mr Yusufzai said.
Nato, whose troops ended combat duty there four years ago, has dismissed the Taliban assault as an “eye-catching, but inconsequential headline”.
But the demoralised Afghan security forces have struggled to overpower the insurgents – despite backing from US air strikes – with civilian and military casualties mounting.
The Afghan forces are dealing with a steadily increasing war on several fronts across the country.
Militants gained control of the base in Faryab, known as Camp Chinaya, after days of heavy fighting, Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Mohammad Rezaee said.
“It is a tragedy that the base fell to the enemy,” Mr Rezaee said.
“Some soldiers were killed, some captured and some fled to nearby hills.”
Tahir Rehmani, head of Faryab’s provincial council, said the base fell after the soldiers begged for reinforcements and air support from Kabul but were ignored.
Mr Rehmani said about 100 soldiers were on the base when it was first attacked on Sunday, while a local MP said Taliban fighters captured another 40.
“Preparations are under way to launch an operation to recapture the base,” Mr Rezaee said.
The fall of the base in the Ghormach district of the volatile province came when security forces were already stretched after days of fighting in Ghazni.
As Afghan forces conduct clearance operations across Ghazni province, the five-day siege of its capital has become a cautionary tale in the war against the Taliban.
The government says more than 100 Afghan security forces and at least 20 civilians have been killed and a similar number wounded.
A UN agency’s report puts the civilian death toll at more than 100.
More than 150 Taliban fighters have also been killed but the numbers on both sides are expected to rise, acting Defence Minister Lt Gen Tariq Bahrami said.
The Taliban offensive intensified over the weekend, leaving many locals trapped in their homes.
“The attack started around 3am on Friday,” resident “Javid” told The National.
“It isn’t unusual to hear gunfire in Ghazni but by 8am we were hearing heavy weapons and rockets. “We also saw the Taliban enter our district and
there was smoke rising from the city centre and main bazaar.”
Seeing the Taliban move into the city of about 150,000 people, Javid said he feared the worst and rushed to the market to stock up on supplies.
“I got back to the house, made sure that we were locked in safely and took shelter in our basement,” he said.
The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said fighters had taken up positions in homes and marketplaces, heightening the risk of civilian casualties when the military brought in air power.
“The placement of improvised explosive devices along Highway 1 both north and south of the city has prevented civilians from safely fleeing,” the UN said.
Javid said soldiers and police were again patrolling his area.
“The Taliban set fire to the local police district building and then they visited the local mosque,” he said. “They told us, ‘We do not mean to harm you as long as you do as you’re told’.”
They then offered weapons to locals to fight “thieves and thugs” who might try to take advantage of the situation.
Javid, who drives a taxi, says signs of a Taliban offensive have been visible for months.
“For nearly a year we taxi drivers have been forced to pay taxes to the Taliban,” he said. “They know each and every one of us and would cut our heads off if we refused to pay. The government has been aware of this and didn’t do anything.”
Javid said that in the week before the siege, the Taliban attacked and destroyed outposts on roads outside the city.
“Everyone knew that,” he said. “But no action was taken and here we are today cleaning our streets, buildings and shops that were destroyed, and searching hospitals for relatives who went missing during the attacks.”
The siege cut off access to basic supplies across the province. Communications networks and the electricity supply are still down across much of Ghazni.
Without power to run pumps, there are water shortages in many areas. Javid said the Taliban destroyed the local water pump that serviced his densely populated neighbourhood.
The UN agency said many civilians, even in Ghazni city, could not seek medical attention.
“Ghazni main hospital is overwhelmed by the high number of casualties arriving,” the report said. “Off-duty health staff in accessible areas of the city have been transferred to the hospital in ambulances to support their on-duty colleagues.”
It said that only eight surgeons were operating.
There are reports that Taliban fighters are still going from house to house in some areas of the city, looking for government officials or their relatives to kill.
“I saw two trucks full of coffins going toward a cemetery in the city. They all seemed to be civilians,” said Abdullah, another resident.
Medical supplies are running low, as is fuel to power generators that run the hospital.
President Ashraf Ghani held meetings with security agencies and said 1,000 more soldiers would be sent to Ghazni, but through much of the fighting he has been on the campaign trail for October’s elections.