Progress in Southern Afghanistan

According to an article in the New York Times, British troops in southern Afghanistan have seen increased success over the last few months against the Taliban.

SANGIN, Afghanistan — The British Army compound here in a drug lord’s former villa, with its sandbagged windows and lookout posts and shrapnel-scarred walls, is a reminder that until just a few weeks ago Sangin was one of the most dangerous towns in Afghanistan’s most dangerous province, Helmand.

Since their arrival last spring in this lawless region of mountains and desert, British troops have lost 64 men in almost daily combat against a Taliban force second to none in size and ferocity in the country. The insurgents still control half the province, the most serious threat to Afghanistan’s stability.

Yet despite the presence of thousands of Taliban fighters, and some tough fighting still ahead, British military commanders here say they believe they have turned a significant corner. In recent months they have succeeded in pushing the Taliban back and keeping them out of a few strategic areas.

At the same time, they say, popular support for the insurgents is eroding.

“We see it now as a threat that can be countered,” Maj. Hamish Bell, second in command of the British battalion deployed in northern Helmand, said of the insurgency.

The progress in Helmand is perhaps the most important anywhere in the country, military commanders say, given that the province has the largest concentration of insurgents and produces 42 percent of Afghanistan’s opium crop, which has helped fuel the insurgency. If they can get Helmand right, they say, it could pave the way to broader progress against the Taliban.

The article goes into much greater detail, it's definitely worth a look. Well, the progress being made in southern Afghanistan is definitely good news. It looks like the British have decided to change their tactics in southern Afghanistan. Last year, British commanders in southern Afghanistan were roundly criticized by NATO colleagues for making a peace deal with the Taliban. I'm glad to see that the British have decided to aggressively attack the Taliban.

Beyond the obvious effects of decreasing the strength of the Taliban, the British's aggressive tactics give the locals a reason to work with them. If the average Afghani is under threat by the Taliban, it's very unlikely he will help the British. If however, he visited area that the British have secured, it's much more likely he will work with the British. In sort of a chain reaction, increased local confidence further decreases the ability of the Taliban to take back control.

This is definitely good news, but it's no VE Day. American and other NATO forces still have a hard fight to go with the Taliban, and it will take time. But I believe victory can be had if the coalition forces are willing to strongly and aggressively attack the Taliban wherever they find them. I hope the British will learn from the failure of the peace deals they tried earlier that the Taliban cannot be mollified or appeased. The only smart approach is to attempt to destroy the Taliban.

(Hat tip: Hot Air)