The new strategy of the Taliban has made a difference, especially
with the placement of the right men in the right place. Taliban-led
guerrilla operations today are many times more effective than the
past. NATO forces have launched multiple operations against them
in southern and eastern Afghanistan, but the Taliban remain defiant
and gain more ground by the day.
The game plan for the reconstruction of Al-Qaeda and Taliban
after 9/11 was completed by late 2005, when Al-Qaeda succeeded
in establishing the Islamic State of North Waziristan and the
Islamic State of South Waziristan to gather together thousands of
tribal youths, Afghans, Pakistani Jihadis, and foreign fighters. The
Pakistani tribal areas were made strategic bases for Al-Qaeda to wage war in the southern Afghan provinces, while the Taliban regis-
tered major successes in Kunar, Nanagarhar, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Gardez, Urzgan, Zabul, and Kandahar, with seven important
districts of Kandahar falling under their direct control by the end of 2006. However, their most successful action was in taking South
Waziristan. This enabled them to launch operations from there into
Afghanistan’s adjoining Helmand province, which continues to see
some of the bitterest fighting in the West’s war against Al-Qaeda and
its Taliban allies.
With the spring offensive of 2006, the majority districts of the
Afghan province of Helmand fell to the Taliban. I visited Helmand
in November 2006, by which time the most strategic southern
regions of Helmand, like the Gramsir district that borders Pakistan,
were under the control of the Taliban. From there a long stream
of militants from South Waziristan had entered Helmand to fight
NATO. Except for the towns of Greskh and Laskhar Gah (the
provincial capital of Helmand), the whole of northern Helmand
was under the control of the Taliban, facilitating their safe passage
into the north-west Afghan provinces of Badghis, Farah, Herat,
and Nimroz. The strategy, which began in South Waziristan and
expanded to Helmand province in 2006, spread the Taliban-led
insurgency all across Afghanistan.
