Taliban Launch Assault on Firebase Anaconda

Approximately 75 Taliban fighters launched a three-pronged frontal assault on Firebase Anaconda in Ghazni, Afghanistan, Tuesday, which left more than twenty Taliban dead and only four coalition fatalities. The assault claimed the lives of two Afghan soldiers and two girls.

The attack was defended by a joint U.S./Afghan force using small arms, mortars and ground attack aircraft. The attacking Taliban rebels were armed with small arms, grenades and 107mm rockets.

"The inability of the insurgent forces to inflict any severe damage on Firebase Anaconda, while being simultaneously decimated in the process, should be a clear indication of the ineffectiveness of their fighters," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a coalition spokeswoman. Source.

The usual Taliban tactic is to engage a firebase with H&I fire, either by snipers or mortar rounds, and then flee into the surrounding countryside before air support can arrive on-station. It seems strange that they would launch a frontal attack with only 75 men, especially when they haven't fared well in a single force-on-force engagement since the war started. The Taliban are smart enough to realize that they don't stand a chance fighting coalition forces head on.

This incident almost sounds like a probe, a staged attack to determine strengths and weaknesses of the firebase and to determine where the key weapons emplacements are. But it seems extremely unlikely that they would launch a full-scale attack to overrun a base which they couldn't possibly hope to hold. Their only chance at survival is to hit-and-run skirmishes, then blend in with the civilian populace or melt into the surrounding countryside.

Of course, that would make the coalition forces happy. Catching large groups of Taliban fighters in the open would certainly make things much easier. Between artillery, air cover and mortars, the Taliban wouldn't stand a chance. Which explains why they lost about one third of their attacking force in this operation.

Afghanistan is far from the success any of us would have imagined some three years into the fray. The Taliban are coupling with al Qaeda in some cases, and have been trying to reconstitute their forces and support. But their losses continue to mount and their leadership has been decimated.

It's just a matter of time and attrition, now.

Comments

[Eric]

good observation on the "probe" reasoning. You're right: it just doesn't make sense. These bastards should be smarter than that. But hey, if they want to attack in large groups out in the open, we;ll be happy to accomodate them. We can make more ammo.

[Brian Conklin]

My son is stationed at Fire base Anaconda. The men there are just that Men! God Bless our troops!