Taliban 'in control' in Helmand
By James Bays, Helmand province, Afghanistan


The Taliban say they operate unchallenged in many areas
Al Jazeera has uncovered evidence that Taliban fighters are now in effective control of large parts of a key province in southwest Afghanistan, despite recent claims by Nato that their bases had been destroyed.

James Bays spent two days with the Taliban in Helmand and found that the group is running schools and medical facilities, and is travelling armed and unchallenged by Nato-led forces. Here is his report:

Behind Taliban lines, we travelled with a group of fighters across the deserts of Helmand province.

These hardened men are well-armed, ready for battle - and they told me they are ready for martyrdom too.

The journeys are often at break-neck speed – because of the risk of Nato air strikes.

Nato may be the master the skies - but the Taliban claim that they control large swathes of territory on the ground.

They took us on a trip - to show us how they operate almost unhindered in many areas.

New weapons

The group operates not only in rural areas but also towns such as Sangin.

The Taliban say they have new anti-aircraft weapons
We filmed along the main street, past the shopping bazaar.

There were Taliban fighters - with weapons - everywhere, and no sign of Nato or Afghan forces.

We filmed from a car, occupied by heavily armed Taliban fighters, yet the vehicle drove straight past the compound housing the British troops based in the town.

The Taliban fighters claim the British are too scared to even leave their base.

The sound of aircraft can be heard - but the fighters are not afraid - they dismissively call the planes "Bush’s kites".

And they claim soon they will soon be using a new anti-aircraft weapons.

One fighter said: "We are not scared of their aircraft - God is with us. We are not scared of anything."

'Spy' hanged

For a time, there was confusion about our permission to film.

This suspected spy was hanged by the Taliban
We were detained - and our telephones and camera were taken, but we were treated extremely well.

Those the Taliban find guilty of a crime are dealt with much more harshly.

This is the body of a man hanged by the Taliban.

They say he was a spy for the Americans - he was carrying an ID card from the US government development agency USAid.

We were also shown where Nato bombs have fallen.

Desert rally

While we travelled around, there were times when we were not allowed to film - because the Taliban do not want Nato to see pictures of the defences inside their villages.

And when The Taliban took us to a mass rally clearly arranged for us to film, it was somewhat unnerving standing in the desert with such a large group - over 400 Taliban fighters.

Youngsters joined a Taliban rally in Helmand province
They were even youngsters holding weapons.

Some were no more than 12-years old while others carried their ammunition in UN food bags.

The district commander showed me all the land he claims is controlled by his men.

"Out of 100 per cent, the British don't even control one per cent of Helmand," he said.

He told me the Taliban is not just a military organisation - he said they have appointed a governor in Helmand and it is now running medical clinics and madrassas or religious schools.

Battles in Helmand, Afghanistan
Open warfare in the southern provinces; Dutch to deploy
By Bill Roggio
Afghan Army and police units, along with the U.S. military are engaged in combat with Taliban forces in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand. The Associated Press states the fighting began after Afghan “police were deployed to the Haji Fateh area to hunt for Taliban rebels” and the Taliban attacked the police forces. Afghan police and Army units poured into the region to engage what is believed to be a force of about 200 Taliban fighters, and U.S. air support, including A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft have been pounding the Taliban positions.

Reuters initial report stated there have been four engagements in the area, and twenty Taliban and three police have been killed in the fighting. According to Mullah Mir, Helmand’s deputy provincial governor, “We’re sending more reinforcements. The fighting is still going on.” The latest report indicates “Two well-known Taliban commanders, Mullah Torjan and Haji Nasru, are among those enemy forces who were killed today [during clashes in Helmand],” along with thirty Taliban fighters.

A Taliban spokesman denies their forces took heavy casualties; “speaking by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, said only two Taliban were wounded.” If he spoke on a satellite phone, or any other phone for that matter, it is highly likely his U.S. intelligence was listening location is no longer undisclosed.

Taliban forces have repeatedly taken heavy casualties when engaging in conventional combat, and today’s engagement is likely to be no different.

While the fighting continues in Helmand, the Dutch Parliament has approved the deployment of 1,400 troops to neighboring Uruzgan province. The increase in suicide attacks and current fighting have not deterred the Dutch from fulfilling their commitment to NATO. There are fears the 5,500 British troops preparing to deploy to Helmand province may be facing in influx of foreign fighters. Ghulam Dusthaqir, Nimroz’s provincial government, states there is a batch coming in from Iraq; “They’re linked to al-Qa’eda and fought against US forces in Iraq. They have been ordered to come here. Many are suicide bombers.”

The foreign terrorists are likely to be coming from regions other than Iraq. The Pak Tribune reports nine foreigners were recently arrested in Nimroz province. The home countries of lhose arrested leaned more towards the subcontinent than the Middle East; “one Iraqi, two Kashmiris from Pakistan administered Kashmir and five Bangladeshis.” In Khost, a suicide car-bomber (which was “carried out by a man dressed as a woman”) killed five, including three Afghan soldiers and two construction workers, while a roadside bomb detonated in Kandahar. No one was hurt in the Kandahar attack. While the attacks may mirror those carried out in Iraq, al-Qaeda and the Taliban are merely using the tactics that have been successful in other Islamist conflicts, including Chechnya, Kashmir, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

http://inbrief.threatswatch.org/2006/02/ba...nd-afghanistan/