NATO says it killed 200 Taliban

[Nickdfresh]

Afghan-NATO attack said to kill 200 rebels; 4 Canadians also die
By NOOR KHAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
9/4/2006

PASHMUL, Afghanistan - Warplanes and artillery pounded Taliban fighters hiding in orchards Sunday during a major Afghan-NATO offensive that the alliance said killed more than 200 militants in its first two days. Four Canadian soldiers also were killed.

If the estimate is confirmed, the battle would be one of the deadliest since U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban regime five years ago. Reporters could not reach all of the combat zone because officials barred traffic from all but one road in this part of southern Kandahar province.

An Associated Press reporter who traveled to Pashmul saw warplanes drop five bombs within 20 minutes on orchards where militants were believed hiding.

Explosions echoed across grape and pomegranate fields, and clouds of dust rose amid the greenery and dried-mud houses of the Panjwayi district, about 12 miles from Kandahar city.

Operation Medusa was launched Saturday to flush out Taliban fighters from Panjwayi and neighboring Zhari district. NATO's spokesman, Maj. Scott Lundy, said alliance and Afghan troops had gained ground and disrupted the militants' command system so guerrillas were moving in confusion.

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak said Taliban casualties were high, but he could not confirm the NATO report of more than 200 dead.

A NATO statement said its figure was derived from "surveillance and reconnaissance assets operating in Panjwayi and Zhari districts, as well as information reported by various Afghan officials and citizens living nearby."

About 80 other suspected Taliban were arrested by Afghan police, NATO said, and another 180 fled the area.

The alliance said it had no reports of civilian casualties, despite the heavy fire. But a spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, Gen. Zahir Azimi, said earlier that an undetermined number of civilians were killed.

Jason Husiak, a spokesman at the Canadian Department of National Defense, said four Canadian soldiers died in Sunday's fighting and others were wounded.

NATO said seven soldiers in its International Security Assistance Force were wounded, one seriously. The other six were expected to return to duty within a few days, it said.

There was no word on casualties among Afghan troops.

Saturday, a reconnaissance plane supporting Operation Medusa crashed, killing all 14 British servicemen on board. NATO said the crash was not caused by hostile fire, saying the plane reported a technical problem before it went down. Investigators examined the wreckage Sunday.

More than 1,800 people, most of them militants, have died in violence the past four months, according to figures from NATO, the U.S. military and Afghan officials.

Insecure conditions have made it increasingly difficult for civilians, aid workers and journalists to travel outside the main cities in the south.

Link

[BITEYOASS]

Fuckin Air Force needs to concentrate more on ground support training rather than all of that damn space warfare. Cause every time they don't deliver, the Marine Corps has to unfuck it. Of course that's coming from someone in the air wing, if you want an opinion from someone who's been on the ground ask Plesco.

[WACF]

You would think they would of figured out to prevent these things from happening.
I would think that the Canadians by an amoured vehicle would look nothing like Taliban.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2...f-1800922.html

.Canadian soldiers barely awake as one killed, dozens wounded, by friendly fire

By LES PERREAU

PANJWAII, Afghanistan (CP) - Canadian soldiers were barely roused from sleep Monday morning when U.S. warplanes mistakenly strafed them, killing one soldier and wounding more than 30 others.

The troops were camped near their armoured vehicles in an open area on the south bank of the Arghandab River and had not launched operations at the time of the incident, according to a senior officer.

The sun was up and skies were clear with the normal dusty haze of the Afghan desert at 5:30 a.m., when two A-10 Thunderbolts opened fire.

"I'm not sure who brought them in and for what reason," said Maj. Geoff Abthorpe, one of two company commanders running the ground operation in Panjwaii, west of Kandahar. "It wasn't us, of course. We were getting prepped to go out but our first air mission wasn't scheduled until 30 minutes later."

The targeted soldiers had camped for the night in an open area on a hill and were getting ready to support Abthorpe's company as it moved north of the river.

"They were . . . marshalling and getting into position to support my mission," Abthorpe said, calling the incident "a freak accident."

Abthorpe guessed the soldiers were shaking sleep from their eyes and dust from their gear when they were suddenly peppered by shrapnel from the cannon fire of the two Thunderbolts, nicknamed Warthogs.

The death brought to five the number of Canadians killed in Panjwaii fighting.

On Sunday, four Canadians died at the start of the ground portion of the anti-Taliban operation called Operation Medusa as insurgent forces repelled a large Canadian assault force.

Several Taliban died Monday as they launched a handful of small scale attacks against Canadians. No Canadians were hurt in Monday's attacks.

"We know they know we took a kicking out there" Sunday, Abthorpe said. "I feel vindicated in that we've drawn a number of their forces up here and we've shown them we can hold our own."

The five deaths in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar are the most sustained by Canada in a 24-hour period since Canadian troops first arrived in Afghanistan in early 2002. Since then, on Canadian diplomat and 32 Canadian soldiers have died, most of them since the Canadians moved into southern Afghanistan in force early this year.

The soldier killed in the friendly fire incident Monday was identified as Pte. Mark Graham of the Royal Canadian Regiment.

Graham and three of the four Canadians killed Sunday - Sgt. Shane Stachnik, Warrant Officer Frank Mellish and Warrant Officer Richard Nolan - were all stationed at CFB Petawawa, Ont. The identity of the other slain soldier was still being withheld Monday at the request of the family, officials said.

Operation Medusa is aimed at purging Taliban insurgents from the dangerous Panjwaii area, the site of intense fighting in recent weeks.

NATO warplanes and attack helicopters have run nearly constant air support missions, bombing and strafing suspected Taliban positions.

Officials said most of the Canadian soldiers wounded as the Thunderbolts made their strafing runs along the Arghandab River suffered relatively minor injuries. But five had more serious wounds.

"It would appear right now, at this stage of the game, that five soldiers will be evacuated back for further treatment beyond our local capability and the remainder of the wounded are expected to return to duty shortly," said Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, the Canadian in charge of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan.

Fraser said an investigation has been launched.

"We do have procedures, we do have communications, we do have training and tactics and techniques and procedures to mitigate the risk but we can't reduce those risks to zero," he said in a news conference at Kandahar Airfield.

In Ottawa, U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins said he had learned of the "tragic" friendly fire incident with "deep regret."

"There will be a full and thorough investigation and we will share the results of that investigation," Wilkins said.

Canadian troops had met fierce resistance early Sunday as they advanced in light armoured vehicles early on Taliban positions that had been pounded for more than 24 hours by NATO helicopter gunships, artillery and bombs.

The Taliban put up a stiff fight, using small arms and rocket propelled grenades to hit back at the Canadians, who later returned to their own stronghold.

Several skirmishes took place Monday from dawn until dusk. Insurgents ambushed a Canadian convoy a few kilometres east of the battlefield and a gunman took sporadic potshots at Canadian troops.

Twice Taliban fighters tried to move behind Canadian positions only to be driven back by heavy fire. One Taliban death was confirmed and five more were suspected.

"They are checking us out, and feeling enough bravado to engage us," said Abthorpe.

NATO officials insisted the continuing operation has been a success, saying an estimating 200 Taliban rebels had been killed and 80 captured. The Afghan Defence Ministry earlier put the number of rebel deaths at 89, adding that there also had been some civilian casualties.

The Taliban dismissed the NATO claims as wildly exaggerated.

"They are saying that they have killed 200 Taliban but they did not kill even 10 Taliban," said Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban military commander for south and southeastern Afghanistan.

"They are just destroying civilian homes and agricultural land. They are using the media to do propaganda against the Taliban," Dadullah said in a satellite telephone call with an Associated Press reporter.

The friendly fire incident Monday was the second similar incident since Canadians began operations in Afghanistan more than four years ago.

Four soldiers died in April 2002 when a U.S. F-16 fighter mistakenly bombed Canadians on pre-dawn training exercise. Eight others were wounded.

Canada has about 2,200 troops based in southern Afghanistan. Most of the Canadian combat units are participating in Operation Medusa.Canadian soldiers barely awake as one killed, dozens wounded, by friendly fire

[BigBadBrian]

It's a damn shame about the Canucks, but....

The Fog of War will always produce friendly fire casualties.

It's inevitable.

A damn shame nonetheless.

[Nickdfresh]

Dupe post.

[Nickdfresh]

NATO: At least 50 Taliban killed in Afghan fighting
POSTED: 10:48 a.m. EDT, September 5, 2006

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. artillery and airstrikes killed between 50 and 60 suspected Taliban militants Tuesday, the fourth day of a NATO-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, an alliance spokesman said.

NATO already has reported more than 200 Taliban killed in the operation.

The U.S. troops, operating under NATO command, clashed with the militants in Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, where an offensive began over the weekend to flush out hundreds of Taliban fighters.

Maj. Quentin Innis, a NATO spokesman, said the troops had identified Taliban positions and the two sides had exchanged fire. He said the estimate of 50 to 60 killed was based on reports from troops looking through "weapons sights and other observation devices."

He said there had been no NATO or Afghan troop casualties.

It wasn't possible for reporters to reach the site of the battle to independently confirm the death toll.

The Afghan Defense Ministry also said 200 militants had died since Saturday -- increasing its previously reported toll of 89. The dead included four Taliban commanders and 12 of their bodyguards, a ministry statement said, citing intelligence reports.

Five Canadian soldiers have also been killed, one in a friendly fire incident Monday involving a U.S. warplane.

Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban military commander for south and southeastern Afghanistan, has rejected NATO's claims of more than 200 dead.

Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said if NATO had killed so many Taliban fighters, they should show them to the media. He also denied that hundreds of Taliban militants were trapped in Panjwayi, and said its fighters were battling NATO and Afghan forces there. He spoke to an Associated Press reporter by phone from an undisclosed location.

Another NATO spokesman Maj. Scott Lundy said earlier Tuesday that an estimated 700 militants were "trapped" in an area spanning several hundred square miles in Panjwayi and Zhari districts, some in fortified compounds, others moving in the open.

NATO has also reported 80 Taliban have been arrested and that another 180 have fled the fighting -- some of the most intense since the fall of the Taliban regime nearly five years ago.

"It's a complex battle space. Some (Taliban) elements are fixed, others are moving," Lundy said.

During Monday's clashes, a U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt warplane supporting NATO mistakenly strafed Canadian troops fighting Taliban forces in Panjwayi, killing one soldier and seriously wounding five.

A top U.S. general expressed sadness over the incident, which was being investigated by a board of military officers.

"The death or injury of each and every coalition member is a tragedy that saddens us, our families and the military and civilian members of the coalition," Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces said in a statement.

A 12-year old girl was killed and nine other civilians were treated for wounds from the fighting in Panjwayi at a Kandahar hospital, said Dr. Qayyum Pohya, the hospital's chief.

Fighting between resurgent Taliban militants and U.S. and NATO forces has left hundreds dead in the past four months -- the deadliest violence since the pro-al-Qaida Taliban regime's 2001 ouster.

The latest clashes came as NATO leaders, including Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and top commander U.S. Gen. James L. Jones, were in Afghanistan for talks with Afghan officials on a security and development accord and to assess progress in the alliance's mission to stabilize the volatile south.

The NATO chiefs, who arrived in Afghanistan late Monday, are due to travel around the country and on Wednesday meet beleaguered President Hamid Karzai. Their three-day visit will coincide with a trip to Kabul by neighboring Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Pakistan, a key Western ally in the war on terrorism, is under increasing pressure to crackdown on Taliban on its soil. Afghanistan claims militia leaders stay in Pakistan and that militants launch cross-border attacks. Pakistan denies the presence of Taliban leaders and says it has 80,000 troops at the border to stop infiltration.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Link

I'm beginning to wonder about some of these "body count" claims of hundreds killed.

[steve]

200 "Taliban".
Sure, yeah right.

They don't know who they killed.

[NightProwler]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
It's a damn shame about the Canucks, but....

The Fog of War will always produce friendly fire casualties.

It's inevitable.

A damn shame nonetheless.

con "war strategy"


http://www.lies.com/wp/images/chickenhawk.jpg

[Seshmeister]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
It's a damn shame about the Canucks, but....

The Fog of War will always produce friendly fire casualties.

It's inevitable.

It's inevitable when you get the gung ho USAAF involved anyway.

When will they fucking learn?

[WACF]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
It's inevitable when you get the gung ho USAAF involved anyway.

When will they fucking learn?

So far it sounds like the pilot was not called in...he just joined the fight.
The Canadians were just waking up and getting ready to move it sounds like.


You gotta wonder why he thought the Taliban drove around in Lav III's.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by WACF
So far it sounds like the pilot was not called in...he just joined the fight.
The Canadians were just waking up and getting ready to move it sounds like.


You gotta wonder why he thought the Taliban drove around in Lav III's.

Well, the problem was that they were moving.

[WACF]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
Well, the problem was that they were moving.

Perhaps.

They were lucky...sounds like at least 300 coke can sized rounds were just off the mark...all the injuries and the fatality were from shrapnel.

A direct hit would of cleary killed many.

[BITEYOASS]

Originally posted by WACF
So far it sounds like the pilot was not called in...he just joined the fight.
The Canadians were just waking up and getting ready to move it sounds like.


You gotta wonder why he thought the Taliban drove around in Lav III's.

An Air Force pilot can't tell the difference between a toyota or an LAV, that's why it's best to have marine pilots fly the ground support missions, since they know what the hell an LAV looks like.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by BITEYOASS
An Air Force pilot can't tell the difference between a toyota or an LAV, that's why it's best to have marine pilots fly the ground support missions, since they know what the hell an LAV looks like.

This is very, very true. Most experienced Army Vietnam vets I knew always said they preferred USMC, Army choppers, or the USN for air-to-ground support than the more reckless USAF. The USAF simply ignores that role, and often puts their subpar pilots in the A-10 (an ugly, but cool, aircraft they've always hated, and have wanted to get rid of for a while) because they consider it an unsexy role and the mentality is that it is sort of "beneath them." I could be wrong, and I'm sure a few Air Force pilots would debate that. But that's what I have heard, the Marines are infantry first, combat pilots second, and the Air Force thinks it's too Goddamned bad if you get too close to their airstrike.

[BITEYOASS]

Plus the air force pilots tend to use pep pills. All of the marine pilots I saw at Al-asad either drank coffee at night or red bull during the day, and believe me, it's a cheaper solution.

[BITEYOASS]

And that Navy coffee? That'll wake the dead!

[Nickdfresh]

Former Nebraska track star killed in Afghanistan

Pte. Mark Anthony Graham a member of 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa, Ont. (CP PHOTO/HO - DND


Sep. 5, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports


LINCOLN, Neb. -- Mark Graham, a former Nebraska track star, died Monday in Afghanistan while serving with the Canadian military. He was 33.

A Canadian soldier was killed when two NATO warplanes mistakenly fired on a platoon during an anti-Taliban operation in Kandahar province after ground troops requested air support, NATO said in a statement. University of Nebraska and Canadian newspaper reports identified the soldier as Graham.

Five other soldiers were seriously injured. An investigation has been launched.

A native of Jamaica, Graham grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a member of Canada's 1,600-meter relay team at the 1992 Summer Olympics, before coming to Nebraska in 1994.

At Nebraska, Graham won the Big Eight indoor title in the 400 and added an outdoor conference crown in the 1,600-meter relay. Graham followed former Nebraska assistant coach Steve Rainbolt to Kent State after the 1995 season.

Graham was the oldest of three brothers. He had one daughter.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2005-2006, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

[BITEYOASS]

One solution to prevent this from happening again is to have the air command send at least 1 or 2 CF-18s from Cold Lake in order to make sure the USAF doesn't screw up again. Another solution is to have the Marine Corps set the standard and head training for Close air support for the entire DOD. I can't believe some damn air force pilots hopped up on go pills killed Canada's best chance to redeem themselves in International Track and Field.