Is Operation “Strike Of The Sword” The Right Strategy in Afghanistan?

By Gilbert Mercier, NEWS JUNKIE POST

Operation “Strike of the Sword” is the name of the massive offensive launched two days ago by US Marines in south Afghanistan’s Helmand province. About 4,000 Marines, as well as 650 Afghan troops are involved with logistic air support provided by NATO  planes.

It is a clear departure  from some previous operations because of its massive scale, speed and difference of objectives.

Qari Yosuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, stated to Afghan news agency AIP yesterday that the Taliban would resist in various ways, and that there would be no permanent US victory in Afghanistan. He added: “I cannot accept the fact that 4,000 US troops have taken part in this operation. I consider it a part of a psychological war, but if 4,000 troops really are in the operation, they will not have a permanent victory.”

Before the attack, the Helmand province was largely under Taliban control. It is a prime area for opium poppy crops, the main source of revenues for the Taliban. The goal of the large scale offensive is different from previous ones. The US Marines are planning to stay and hold the Helmand province, as opposed to being narrowly focused on specific  targets. The Taliban fighters are likely to leave the area at first, then come back later to ambush US troops in a typical guerrilla warfare tactic.

It would appear that the change of strategy was advised to President Obama by General McCrystal, the new US Commander in Afghanistan and former top commander of Black-ops. The timing of the offensive coincides with Afghan’s election to be held in August. The central government authority over most of Afghanistan is very limited, President Karzai is often described by Afghans as not much more than “The Mayor of Kabul”.

This operation indicates that President Obama’s new strategy is one of nation building. However, shoring up the central government’s power, in a country as fragmented as Afghanistan, will  be extremely challenging.

Afghanistan has now fully become President Obama’s war. Operation “Strike of the Sword” was conducted with a massive amount of helicopter gunships reminiscent of the tactics used by the Soviets in the 80’s.

Some journalists commented on the helicopter deployment as the “biggest one since Vietnam.” Let’s hope that the analogy with Vietnam stops here, with the new tactic, and not the overall outcome of the war.