'New generation' of tech-savvy Taliban fighters
The militants recently released a video of a June 1 attack on a US military base in the eastern province of Khost, on the border with Pakistan, showcasing far more developed techniques to plan the assault than previously thought.
The footage shows the fighters, in military uniforms, being briefed by their commander using a model and satellite images of the target, Forward Operating Base Salerno.
"First we do this operation for God's sake, second may God accept this (attack) as revenge for the burning of the Quran in Bagram," the commander tells the fighters.
"We will do our best to avoid civilian casualties," he says after he explains to his men how they should enter the camp.
A huge truck bomb is seen destroying the entrance to the facility, before an assault force enters the base to carry out the second phase of the attack - wearing US military uniforms, according to the US-based company IntelCenter.
The blast and fighting that followed were filmed from at least three angles, showing the militants' multiple observation points - and their desire to produce a slick video afterwards for propaganda purposes.
Analysts say such organised and complex attacks generate more publicity, require fewer fighters and give the insurgents the appearance of being stronger than they may actually be.
"Maybe in some cases they only want the media impact. On other occasions, we say to ourselves that it looks really serious. These videos show that they have real skills and technical knowledge," a Western official told AFP.
The film of the Khost attack was first obtained by Al-Jazeera but later posted on the Taliban's Voice of Jihad website.
"Far from showing a Taliban force weakened and on the ropes, the video is a clear reminder that the Taliban maintains the ability to prepare and execute large-scale attacks," wrote IntelCenter, which monitors jihadist websites.
When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, almost all electronic products were outlawed as un-Islamic. Photographs of living things were illegal, and ownership of a video player could lead to a public lashing.
But now technology plays an essential role in the militants' reshaped strategy, with carefully-planned surprise attacks in places that previously were spared heavy assaults, said analyst Waheed Wafa.
"Five years ago, for instance, the Taliban would attack in hundreds, mostly in remote towns. But now, 10 fighters can do an even better job in sophisticated attacks in big cities," he said.
"The Taliban also want to show that they are very clean, organised and high-tech, and that comes whenever a party in conflict feels that it has a chance to come back to power."
Afghan writer and analyst Waheed Mujda, a former official in the Taliban regime, added: "It is a new generation of Taliban, they are very high-tech and that is because they face a high-tech army as their enemy.
"They use GPS, they use Google Maps, they use cameras and almost every digital age technology. They can inflict more casualties on their enemy if their attacks are well planned."
NATO's US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the Afghan interior ministry dismissed the video as a propaganda stunt.
It is "simply an attempt by the insurgents to sensationalise this action," ISAF spokesman Brigadier General Guenter Katz told AFP.
"What this video really shows is the insurgents' selfish efforts to recruit and propagandise more young men to needlessly die for a failed cause."
An ISAF spokesman said one US soldier and an Afghan civilian working on the base were killed in the attack, more than 10 American soldiers were seriously wounded and about 115 were slightly hurt.
Two buildings were damaged, including the dining room, and 14 insurgents were killed.
Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi dismissed the video as propaganda and said it would not demoralise ordinary Afghans.
But he told AFP: "It also raises questions where they got all that training and how they obtained about 10 tonnes of explosives."
COMMENTS (23)
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i want to see my afghanistan free....i dont want nato and usa in afghanistan....enemy of my enemy is my friend.....shoot your army person who killed afghans in early morning while they were sleeping in home why you are killing innocent people
sani thumbs up looks like a lot of fools needed a history lesson from 11 years back. talk abt short term memory
@ Roflcopter:
Agreed bro. Totally agreed.
@bigsaf,
I have started hating this word "kharadjittes" its the newer edition of word "kaafir", Story is very simple in Afghanistan:
1) Afghan Taliban under the leadership of Mullah Umer asked for a neutral jury in case of Osama bin Laden, However America the "sole super power" with highest in women rape wanted to free Afghani women out of their clothes. Jury was rejected with the statement, "even if osama is presented to us or not, we will decide the fate ourselves now", A clear sign of arrogant nation who shies not to kill its own people for its global agenda. So Mullah Umer rejected saying that "I cannot hand over a person who came from Medina without guilt proven"
2) America decided to invade it, with only justification Bush giving was "god told me to invade Afghanistan". Killing people in bunches while throwing cluster bombs. I believe it was more like "the last samurai" where media showing locals as evil, while justifying all the killings.
3) The one who stood up against the strongest Army in history are called as Kharajittes, while the one who ran away from truth only under the pretext of their inner cowardice are referred to as patriots and loyal to their motherlands.
This is the whole story for me and I really salute all those who stood up in this era of propaganda against an army who couldn't be beaten on papers. Once they are beaten badly and the Pharoah of time is drowned once again by Allah, negotiations with the biggest evil is even acceptable by the one deciding "who and how others live"
@Cautious: Dear Cautious, I forget to mention in my last missive, that regardless of whether the Taliban are high or low tech they have kept the best that the Western military, have to offer, at bay for eleven years, and cost the American tax payer trillions of dollars
@Cautious: Oh, come on Cautious. If you were a Taliban fighter and drones were floating above firing nuclear tipped missiles would you go around collecting body parts so that you could take photographs? Further, America has been blowing people up for the last eleven years and I am not aware of them releasing any photographs. The only exception to this has been people such as journalist Julian Assange. He released footage of U.S. gunships murdering innocent people, and his treatment by Washington has not been exactly pleasant. You may recall that Private Bradley Manning has been implicated in the video release of U.S. brutality, and his treatment by America has been quite horrendous.
@US Centcom: Despite my appreciation for NATO's efforts in attempting to modernize Afghanistan, in challenging the reactionary, repressive and retrogressive ideology of the Taleban and Al-Qaeda, I am certain you appreciate the many complicated reasons for a 10-year insurgency that shows no signs of abetting.
The wiser policy is to negotiate a settlement to this pointless and ridiculous conflict. Perhaps take some cultural lessons as well, the Afghans are a fiercely independent nation - they are impossible to tame and will protect their 'backwardness' with their lives - even Pakistan, a culturally similar nation is unable to exercise control over FATA (notwithstanding its own strategic and tactical calculations in this conflict).
But most of all, perhaps educating the rather naive American public on the realities of Afghanistan, and an appreciation of the region's history and culture will help build bridges. It is all well and good promoting the US military's aid and rehabilitation efforts in helping Afghanistan, portraying the poor Afghans (and increasingly, Pakistanis) as a rather wretched, unsophisticated lot - but just as most are unaware of the subtleties of American culture, associating it with drugs, sex and 'immorality' (as absurd as that may seem given that the West has many, many positive aspects to its culture), the impression in the West is that all Muslims are backward barbarians who scream 'Allahu-Akbar' and want to kill anything that's non-Muslim, unable to reason or understand, who have nothing other than a desire for 72 virgins and a place in paradise. Forget all the complex philosophy and science that emanated from here! There aren't too many Americans who read up on this region's history and culture (from a non-Orientalist POV) - resulting in a greatly exaggerated fear of Muslims or Islamic culture, and most Afghans and Pakistanis are clueless regarding the US or the West (hence the famous conspiracy theories) resulting in a greatly exaggerated fear and mistrust of the West. There's a lot that needs to be done to improve the Muslim condition, namely educating the public and bringing about the conditions for a social, economic and cultural renaissance, but as long as the West meddles in this region, extremists will continue having reasons to declare Jihads and sink us wretched South and Central Asians into this abyss.
@Roflcopter:
The Taliban are Kharjites and tired of munafiqs lying excuses and supporting of totalitarian political criminals. They ARE abusing Pakistani territory, such as the Haqqani network. Just ask the Turi and Bangash tribes. Many Afghan Taliban commanders were arrested in Karachi, and the Quetta Shura is notorious in housing Afghan Taliban.
The Taliban distanced themselves from Al Qaeda very very late, and this is simply an admission of their guilt with global terrorists who've defamed Islam and Muslims. Peace is more desirable than the anarchist and psychotic civilian massacres the Taliban indulge in, because such is the situation where talks are necessary with criminal kidnappers who hold a region hostage with violence backed by Pak state handlers. Many Afghans and Muslims still oppose them, including Pashtuns, Uzbeks and other non-Pashtun Afghans.
"What this video really shows is the insurgents’ selfish efforts to recruit and propagandise more young men to needlessly die for a failed cause".
Please someone tell me for what cause NATO soldiers are dying in Afghanistan? NATO should leave their soil and everything will be fine.
@bangash, Afghan Taliban control many parts of Afghanistan, they don't need to use Pakistani territory but there are indeed fighters who go from Pakistan but they're not really Afghan Taliban.
Dear US Centcom,
If Afghan Taliban are terrorists then why are you trying to negotiate with them? If Afghan Taliban are terrorists then why do they continue to have big support from Afghan people? and Afghan Taliban HAVE distanced themselves from Al-Qaeda. The only thing destabilizing this region is YOUR presence here and why should they renounce violence when you're the one occupying their country? Please stop fooling the world.
Dear Shahid and Roflcopter,
We’ve repeatedly clarified our stance against terrorism. The door remains open to those who are willing to lay down their weapons and abide by the rule of law. We reiterate what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in regard to this matter, “Insurgents must renounce violence, abandon al Qaeda, and abide by the constitution of Afghanistan, including its protections for women and minorities. If insurgents cannot meet those red-lines, they will face continued and unrelenting assault."
We cannot give a free pass to those who are killing innocent people in their bid to spread fear and chaos. We refuse to bow down to the terrorists who think they can break our will with indiscriminate acts of terror in the region. The facts allow us to determine the truth. And there is no doubt as to who is murdering innocent people for the sake of achieving their evil agenda. These terrorists must be dealt with accordingly, and we will continue to pursue them aggressively. It was obvious that they prevented the nation from progressing and kept people in the dark while they were in power. Now we are seeing these terrorists use technology as a mean to achieve their evil objectives. Their hypocrisy is on full display, and it is easy to see that they are willing to go to any length in their bid to destabilize the region.
talibani propaganda that they are planning with the aim of minimum civilian casuality. BS
Tech savvy fighters never seem to have a cell phone camera to take picture of the "innocent victims" that so many claim are killed by drones. I would further observe that the death rate of US soldiers in Afghanistan is so low that your chances of dying by suicide in the US army is greater than death in Afghanistan --- guess all that "tech savvy" stuff isn't as lethal as implied.
What a shame
These holy jihadi brothers who want to spread their version of caliphate are actually using the technology invented by the infidels...
If they can do this against a major US base that has 24/7 air/video/ground sensor surveillance and some of the most sophisticated radar technology in the world to detect any movement as well as an active air attack squadron, imagine how they can defeat Pakistan's own bases that have no where as near of a tight security and equipment.
Fighting this war militarily will only lead to humiliation for all countries involved.
Let's call this trend "Techno-Jihad"
Don't forget the major technological leap by US was during the world wars. A desperate man, anything can do.
"What this video really shows is the insurgents’ selfish efforts to recruit and propagandise more young men to needlessly die for a failed cause.” funny because exactly the same applies to NATO forces.
@Awans, God wants peace, but when your country is attacked God also wants you to defend....and Afghan Taliban have not been bombing Pakistan.
Taliban are adapting as per requirement of situation on the ground. They are proving themselves tech savy and employing technology effectively to confront their far superior enemy. America should reconsider its approach of arrogance and start negotiations with Taliban otherwise the war will go on to the deteriment of American people and at the cost of Afghan and muslim blood.
Well these days technology is so readily available and bomb making techniques are all over the net that any group of people can come together wreak havoc... what a sad world we live in
Taliban should learn that this is not the holy war but ignorance. Americans are wrong so do you. You kill the people for their belief and in Pakistan over the years Taliban bombs have killed over 10,000 people and that is not Islam and that is not what God wants as well. So please stop this rhetoric that God wants you to fight so you are fighting. God wants peace among his creations and that is all.