The Taliban's deadly tactics !

This week five Australian soldiers died in Afghanistan and two more were wounded.  This brings our total killed in this war to thirty-eight, but it also illustrates a tactic that the Taliban are successfully using across the entire spectrum of nations involved in this insurgency.

Three of those deaths and the two wounded occurred when a member of the Afghanistan  National Army  ( ANA ) turned his weapon on those giving training support and gunned them down at close range.  He then fled the scene.   This is described as a " Green on Blue " incident, just one more example of Taliban infiltration to disrupt the creation of a battle ready ANA and to destroy the trust and harmony that develops as a bond between trainers and the trained.

The Taliban are Islamist fundamentalists.   They have no hesitation in donning explosive vests and acting as suicide bombers to enhance their cause.  It stands to reason that their commanders have induced some members to join the ANA and act in a " sleeper " capacity, waiting for the opportunity to strike.  It is a clever strategy.   It causes those tasked with training the ANA to be cautious at all times, wear body armour constantly - and have " Guardian Angels " - fellow soldiers - standing by on watch in case there is treachery from the very people with whom they are supposed to bond.

The end of the war is in sight.  Most forces will be withdrawn by 2014 and the big question is what happens then ?   It is unlikely that the corrupt and unpopular government in Kabul will survive for long and we will most likely see a return of the tribal warlords who initially helped banish the Taliban at the start of this war.

That will be a turning point for Afghanistan.  If the Afghan troops armed and trained by allied forces migrate to the tribal warlords they will become the ruling force in the country.  The decisive factor will be the choice of the Afghan people.    They have experienced the excesses of the Taliban when they held power and they may not wish to return to that regime.   They may not embrace the concept of democracy and the equality of women that we offered, but they would not wish to return to the banning of television, music - and kite flying harshly imposed by Taliban rule - and they may tacitly approve their sisters and daughters going to school and getting an education.

The Afghan years have been a test of blood and treasure for many nations, but we have all been fighting a proxy war.   The real enemy is Afghanistan's next door neighbour - Pakistan.   The Taliban has been created and armed by that nation's military who wish to see it as a fragmented country as a shield against India.
Perhaps the real outcome of the Afghan war will be the imposition of tribal leaders with the strength to curb Pakistan's Taliban and deliver government that is less than our lofty ideals - but a big improvement on the tyrrany of a people still living in the dark ages.

That is an outcome yet to be decided !