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| Updated: 22-Sep-2006 | NATO Speeches |
Kabul, 22 Sep 2006 |
Kabul Podcast Audio report by Mark Laity, NATO's civilian spokesman in Afghanistan
Finally I can draw a little breath. Since I last wrote a podcast the pace at ISAF HQ has been unrelenting – a seemingly unending blur of events as ISAF and NATO were truly tested in combat. In that time NATO launched its largest ever combat operation, against a well-prepared and determined enemy. That was Operation Medusa, and it’s a name that will stick in the mind of anyone involved, even if like me peripherally, for a long time. It was fought to the south west of Kandahar City, in the Panshwaye and Zhari districts. It was here that the Taliban filtered in large numbers of insurgents in to first take and then, far more significantly, hold the area. That was challenge we could not ignore. Holding the area not only threatened Kandahar City, the center of gravity in the South, but if the Taliban managed to stay there they would send a message to the people of the south that they were militarily superior. So Operation Medusa was for more than just a patch of land – it was a trial of strength that will have a lasting effect both militarily and on the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. So as the plans were put together the tension even in ISAF HQ in Kabul, much further from the scene of the action than the Kandahar HQ, was obvious. It’s hard to put your finger on that sense, but it hangs in the air – this is real and the stakes are high. In such operations there is so much that is unknowable, the numbers of enemy, the true strength of their defences, their will to fight, and the consequences of getting it wrong can be paid in blood. There’s a military cliché that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and this one was no exception – and indeed successfully adapting to circumstance is one of the tests of a good military. ISAF passed that test. Holding your nerve is another quality, and there were some tough days. As Operation Medusa was still building up momentum, on just one day we recorded 24 incidents of troops in contact in Kandahar and elsewhere. Then we lost an RAF Nimrod in an accident, with the deaths of 14 servicemen, while the following day 4 Canadian soldiers died in fighting. The next day another Canadian died and many others were injured when a US aircraft mistakenly opened fire on their position, and then on top of all that, on the same day, a suicide bomber in Kabul killed a British soldier as well as local civilians. Tought times indeed. That’s the point when an organization and individuals need to hold their nerve and drive on, and that’s what happened. A brief pause, revisions to the plan, a juggling of forces, some reinforcement, and then relentless pressure and determination. By the end of that difficult week the Taliban, suffering hundreds of deaths, were forced out. The series of positions they held, codenamed after sports by ISAF, Rugby, Cricket, Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis, steadily fell. That was all due to a true multinational effort of Afghans, British, Canadians, Danes, Dutch and Americans. The too often unsung Afghan Army fought hard and was critical to the outcome, while airpower, especially American, very often made the difference. It’s easy to note the tragic mistake, and forget that routinely airpower saves scores of lives in the thick of the fight. Now the guns are largely silent and we can reflect on what ISAF has achieved. First and foremost the Taliban have suffered a serious defeat. They believed they could hold on to that territory, and they failed. Lines of fortifications, trenches and tunnels showed just how much it mattered to them and how hard they tried. The lesson should not be lost on them, or the people of the south. When it comes to a fight ISAF wins. For local people that matters. After years of violence the people of the south are fearful and nervous – they support the government, but they need to believe it will succeed. But no-one in ISAF is claiming victory yet. The Taliban may not be able to match ISAF in a fight, but they can still lay bombs, mines and use suicide bombers. Nor has anyone forgotten that winning an insurgency needs more than fighting – that creates the stability that creates the opportunity for improving peoples lives, and that is what defeats people like the Taliban. That is why Operation Medusa continues, just in another form. We will fight as much as we have to, but our effort now is one we prefer – to help the people of the Panshwaye and Zhari to get home and rebuild their lives. Now the aid agencies, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, UNHCR, and others are all working together with the Afghan government to bring in immediate and get longer-term help underway. So as the Taliban continue to try to wreck people’s lives we will work on rebuilding them. It is less dramatic, it is very hard, and it will take a long time, but ultimately it is why we’re here. |
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