Sunday, December 09, 2007

The Afghan Army's Big Debut

It's been years in the making and by this time tomorrow the world will know if it was worth it. "It" is the Afghan army. Tomorrow it's tasked to retake the town of Musa Qala, a Taliban stronghold since the British army cleared out of the place last October.

According to British commanders the town is surrounded. "If you think of it like a house, the house is surrounded, the Afghan army is waiting outside. We are in the process of kicking the door in, then the Afghan army is going through it," said British army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Eaton.

No word on how many Taliban insurgents remain in Musa Qala but, judging by recent clashes, it's likely they're going to dig in and fight. How the Afghan soldiers will fare against a determined adversary remains very much to be seen.

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