The Harvest of Military Operations of the Taliban between Monday, July 24, and Sunday, July 30, 2006, Including Attacks Targeting Canadian, British, NATO, American and Afghani Forces
By
SITE Institute July 31, 2006
The Taliban issued four communiqués between Thursday, July 27, 2006 and today, Monday, July 31, describing the operations executed by its Mujahideen from Monday, July 24, through Sunday, July 30. Included amongst the attacks was a suicidal operation in Qandahar striking a convoy of Canadian soldiers, three separate bombings of British forces in Helmand, and the conquest and “liberation” of two principalities in the provinces of Ghazni and Qandahar. The group claims responsibility for rocket launchings, detonations of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), armed confrontations, and the capture of a Lebanese engineer who works for an American company called “Road Reconstruction” in several provinces of Afghanistan, including Konar, Ghowr, Paktika, Paktia, Qandahar, Zabol, Uruzgan, Farah, Helmand, Baghland, Kapisa and Laghman.
According to the messages, the Taliban are concentrating attacks upon British forces in Helmand, purportedly killing twelve in one operation on July 27, and unknown numbers on July 28 and July 25. The suicide bombing targeting the Canadian forces’ convoy occurred on July 24, on the road of Kabul-Qandahar, and destroying two tanks and killed eight soldiers. Several attacks struck American forces, including the downing of two Chinook helicopters in Paktia between July 26 and 27, and one single operation in Uruzgan in which the Mujahideen ambushed the “Crusader” forces and purportedly killed eight American soldiers and burned four vehicles.
Amongst the attack claims, the Taliban also lists an operation which was executed by fighter jets of the American and British forces in the principality of Musa Qala in Helmand. The bombing allegedly struck three villages and killed dozens of women, children, and the elderly. The message states: “A large number of the dead are still under the ruined building;, the ones who survived are still struggling to pull them out. According to an eyewitness, the bombing was so intense that water came out of the ground. Holes were forty meters in diameter. The three villages were completely destroyed.”
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