Because of an email I received today,I noticed and read the article Crash cited below about an increase in IEDs in A'stan. There are now 56 route clearance teams (RCP) in-country. That's actually twice as many as we had in Iraq and that's a good thing. Iraq had a lot more IEDs than they've seen in Afghanistan to this point so having more teams on the ground can't do anything but help. But per the article, the amount of IEDs they are seeing is changing: The number of IEDs in Afghanistan climbed from 429 in March 2009 to 989 in March 2010. Again, that's still only a third of what they saw in Iraq but it is over twice what they saw in Afghanistan just a year ago. And as with any type of weapon and tactic, there are always changes that cause a good bit of consternation: But officials say that the Afghan bombs present new challenges. Unlike in Iraq, where electronics could be used to scan for remote-controlled bombs and jam their frequencies, Afghan bombs lack the circuitry that make them easier to detect and thwart. That partly because, for the most part, they're much more crude than those we saw in Iraq (I wonder how long it will take Iran to help close that gap?). Anyway, after a few months of relative nothing, a warrior on one of the RCPs drops me a note and says: "Exciting day yesterday. Three rpg's, small arms from about 8-12 dudes on both sides. Hit the buffalo in front of me and the wrecker in back of me. 2 confirmed enemy K's 1 more possible. Our terp had shrap in leg, back that night. Our buffalo still has an RPG engine hanging out the side. 4 other units on post or next to us, including one of our brother rcp's had wounded. Mortar hit the window on a husky in RCP 2. Minor shrap in neck, guy walking around the place that night. It was a good day. All those actions were seperate. 5 different units in the same province." When Michael Yon called into the Milblog conference, he said the battle for Kandahar had begun. If this warrior's experience is typical, I think we can safely assume, given his report above, that the overall Taliban spring offensive has most likely begun as well.
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackfive/~3/tdprjN2Xb2c/afghanistan-and-the-spring-offensive-begins-with-a-bang.html
Posted
Apr 13 2010, 04:12 AM
by
BLACKFIVE