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Taliban Violence Ramps Up for Warm Weather Elections |
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Friday, 27 February 2009 |
 ADF chief, Angus Houston, has warned of an escalation in Taliban-led violence in the region where Australian troops are operating in Afghanistan .
Extremists would be attempting to interfere with planned presidential and provincial council elections, scheduled for August, he said.
"They will attempt to disrupt the process if they can, Air Chief Marshall Houston told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
The coming campaign season - the traditional warm-weather escalation in fighting - would produce an increase in insurgent attacks using improvised explosive devices and indirect fire.
However, insurgents would likely be reluctant to take on NATO-led coalition forces in direct combat, he said.
"It will be a demanding campaign season."
Air Chief Marshal Houston said this year would be different with a
surge of 17,000 extra US soldiers plus more and more capable Afghan
National Army units in the field.
"What you are going to see is a lot more operational activity and a lot
more fighting, a lot more violent incidents in the areas which are
contested, particularly the Pashtun south," he said.
The federal government had not specifically asked defence to prepare
for deployment of extra forces, on top of the 1,100 already in
Afghanistan .
"We prepare for every eventuality," he said.
Australian units had been making good progress in their area of operations in the dangerous Oruzgan province.
During the past 18 months, special forces have killed or captured 21
Taliban leaders, significantly degrading insurgent abilities to conduct
operations and allowing time for training of ANA units and for
reconstruction.
The tragic deaths of five Afghan children were being investigated, Air
Chief Marshal Houston said, adding on occasions missions had been
aborted because of excessive risk to civilians.
"I wish I could say the same thing about the Taliban .
"The Taliban are a ruthless, brutal foe who through the callous regard
for human life continue to pose a serious threat to the people of
Afghanistan , the ADF and coalition forces."
Taliban insurgents routinely used tactics which placed innocent Afghans
at risk, forcing them to fight on their behalf and conducting
operations from amongst the population.
Australia's strategic objective for Afghanistan was to ensure it never
again became a haven for terror groups, such as al-Qaeda , to launch
global attacks.
But expecting Afghanistan to become just like a western democracy might not be realistic, Air Chief Marshal Houston said.
"It might be something that reflects the tribal culture from whence it came. All of that is on the table at the moment." |
