A day of defeat for the Taliban

CNN:

In some of the fiercest fighting in months, Afghan forces backed by U.S.-led coalition troops killed 41 Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, the governor of Kandahar province has said.

At least six Afghan policemen also died in the attacks, which targeted suspected Taliban hideouts in the area where Taliban leader Mullah Omar was born and raised -- about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Kandahar. Coalition helicopters were used in the operation. He remains at large.

"In yesterday's battle in Zare Dasht district, forty-one Taliban were killed," Governor Assadullah Khalid told CNN on Saturday, the day after the attacks.

"The Afghan National Police lost six men, including the police chief of Zare Dasht. Nine Taliban were also wounded, and thirteen captured by government forces."

Khalid said major fighting in the area had ended and the situation was under control, but a search operation was continuing to capture some Taliban who had fled to nearby villages.

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It appears the Afghan goverment forces are getting their act together and taking the lead in fighting the remnants of the Taliban. The Taliban have been a remarkably weak enemy in Afghanistan after terrorizing the population while they were in charge, they have few sanctuaries in a country with terrain that favors their type of warfare. They have shown little aptitude for using that advantage. Al Qaeda made a serious strategic mistake focusing their battle in Iraq, where the terrain does not favor a raiding strategy, instead of Afghanistan where it does. You might say they have squandered their opportunities by fighting in Iraq, and shown ineptitude in their fight in Afghanistan.