Undermining Taliban credibility

Times:

BRITISH forces in Afghanistan insist that despite the surprising toughness of Taleban fighters they are more than up to the task.

“This is what the Army is meant to do,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart Tootal, commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, whose troops make up the bulk of the 4,300 troops Britain has in Helmand province.

The fiercest battles the troops have faced have taken place in Sangin, Nauzad, Musa Qala and Kajaki, all in the north of the province. In these towns the British are based in platoon houses, administrative centres that have been strengthened with sangars and sandbags, which provide the troops with a rudimentary base.

Before the British deployed to the towns, Colonel Tootal insisted, they “very nearly fell to the Taleban”.

“The Taleban thought they were going to push us out of all the district centres in three days and that’s what they told the people,” he said. “The fact that we are still there is a big blow to their creditability.”

...

“It was terrifying,” said Gurkha Rifleman Dic Limba, 22. “Ten metres is close contact. At night you could see the flash of the weapon and the tracer rounds. Some of the boys got hit in their helmets. I was firing a 50 cal and got hit on my weapon.”

...

Lieutenant Mathers told The Times: “After your first battles, including a six-hour one, you get battle inoculated pretty quickly. The guys are battle hardened.”

“They were never going to get into our platoon house,” added Lieutenant Mathers.

I am sure it was worse for the Taliban. It is extremely hard for light infantry alone to penetrate a properly prepared defensive position. It also appears that the brits were properly equiped. While they were in close combat, the results of the fighting was certainly not close for the taliban who suffered significant casulties without obtaining their objective.