Announcement

**noorzai** · 05-03-2011, 11:29 AM

We are getting closer to the month of July when international forces begin handing over security responsibilities for some areas of Afghanistan to Afghan national security forces. In response, Taliban are expected to conduct a surge of violence --assassination of influential tribal figures, an increase in suicide attacks and other fear tactics-- such actions will not make a significant difference tactically or strategically, but they are intended for propaganda purposes, and to instill fear among Afghans, which has been the only tool at their disposal to influence the minds of the people.

The Taliban would have you believe that they are the legacy of the mujahedin who removed the Soviets from Afghanistan 19 years ago, but the actions they take every day betray this claim. They murder, kidnap, terrorize, and intimidate the old as well as the young, rather than face their armed enemies in the manner true armies, such as the mujahedin of the 1980s did. Today, Taliban violence is even more focused on innocent Afghan civilians than it has been at any other time of this conflict.

Dear readers, rest assured, Taliban violence will have no lasting impact in light of the strong gains made by Afghan and coalition forces this past winter. Taliban strength has been so degraded that its fighters will be unable to derail a transition process that will see local forces take responsibility for seven provinces by July, 2011 and the entire country by 2014. Afghan and international forces continued exerting pressure over the winter on Taliban leadership and fighters who remained inside Afghanistan.

The increased tempo and mode of counterterrorism operations in former Taliban strongholds made the environment much more inhospitable for Taliban than it was last year. Insurgents return to increasing setbacks –-many buried, in jail or reconciled with the government-- because over the past several months joint Afghan and international force operations combined with the opposition of local populations have significantly degraded Taliban ability to conduct terror operations. Dear readers, insurgent weapons caches were captured with intelligence tips by local people who now trust the professional Afghan security forces more than dirty Taliban.

Dear readers, do not despair, the insurgents will continue in their attempt to create the perception that ANSF cannot sustain security of their own country without the help of international community. Dear readers, let me assure you that ISAF and ANSF will successfully turn over security responsibility to the brave sons and daughters of Afghanistan who will defeat Taliban.
Dear readers, at the end I would like to give you with a video from Naw Roz celebration in Helmand province.

Announcement

Security transition to Afghan security forces

Security transition to Afghan security forces

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