Coalition and Afghan Forces continue to decimate Taliban elements in southern and eastern Afghanistan

There is a hidden war being fought in Afghanistan, a war where NATO forces are playing a large role in combating Taliban forces outside of the view of the Western press. A little know fact is there are over 1,000 French troops in the region, including special forces units that are hunting al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the harsh mountains. Two French soldiers were recently killed fighting the Taliban. The French rarely release numbers of the Taliban and al Qaeda killed during operations, and the numbers are high. The operations are truly 'dark.'

The latest report from the region indicates that Australian soldiers from the Special Forces Task Group have killed “more than 150 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters during nine days of fierce fighting in southern Afghanistan.” The action was part of Operation Perth and occurred over the month of July. The enemy to friendly numbers killed are off the charts. The Australians suffered six wounded during the operation in the restive Chora district in Uruzgan province.

Chora was the scene of intense fighting over the summer, and Uruzgan, along with Helmand and Kunar provinces, are perhaps the most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan. In early June, the Chora police station was overrun and subsequently retaken by Afghan forces. Operation Perth was very likely a follow on operation. Uruzgan continues to remain a security problem.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Coalition and Afghan forces remain on the offensive. The crush of Taliban fighters coming across the Pakistani border makes for a target rich environment.

The town of Garmsir in Helmand province has been retaken by “200 Afghan troops backed by 40 Danish, British and Estonian soldiers.” ISAF detained 7 Taliban attempting to flee the Panjwai battlefield. “Insurgent movements in the desert south of Pashmul, and in routes across Baram Cha and beyond to the Helmand Valley, are now severely curtailed by ISAF patrols,” reports ISAF. Six Taliban were killed and 21 captured in various operations in the south and east. The Khaleej Times is reporting a commander of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami, along with “six associates” were captured “at a compound near Hafezan in eastern Nangarhar province.” The initial report of Hekmatyar's capture may be premature, however American intelligence sources are tight lipped on the subject at the moment.