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Large group of Taliban surrounded in Afghanistan including two mullahs

Telegraph:

A large Taliban force including a number of the movement's leaders was reported to have been surrounded by US and Afghan National Army forces in southern Afghanistan yesterday, in the most intense fighting in the country since 2002.

An Afghan government spokesman said that 132 Taliban fighters had died during three days of fighting. Three Afghan National Army soldiers were reported to have been killed, and six US soldiers wounded. Two US helicopters were hit and one made a forced landing.

Lutfullah Mishal, spokesman for the interior ministry, said that some 150 Taliban fighters remained under attack and surrounded in the Deh Shapan district of Zabul province.

Prisoners reported that two of the Taliban's 10-man governing council, Mullah Dadullah and Mullah Brother, had been with the trapped force at least until Tuesday.

Most of the Taliban dead were the result of what US army spokesman Colonel Jerry O'Hara said were "devastating" air attacks by coalition aircraft, including British Harrier jets based in Kandahar.

This is a good sign of progress in ridding the country of these guys. While recent stories have indicated a higher operational tempo by the Taliban, this story suggest that if so, it has backfired big time. The problem for groups like the Taliban, is that to make an effective attack they must mass their forces, but when they mass their forces they are easier to find and destroy. This dilemma should ultimately lead to their destruction.