Taliban lose again

AP/Washington Post:

Afghan and NATO forces clashed with Taliban militants in a dangerous southern region overnight, leaving 33 suspected insurgents dead, the provincial governor said Tuesday.

The joint forces carried out the nighttime operation in the Zhari district of Kandahar, said provincial governor Asadullah Khalid. Four other suspected militants were arrested. There were no casualties among Afghan or NATO forces, he said.

NATO spokesman Maj. John Thomas said the military used airstrikes in the operation around daybreak Tuesday, and that it was possible a "small number of insurgents" were killed. Wounded militants were provided with medical care, he said.

Zhari was the site of one of NATO's largest-ever operations last fall and remains a volatile area. Seven Afghan police died in a roadside bomb explosion in Zhari on Monday.

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Even if you count the seven police killed by the IED, the Taliban will have a tough time sustaining this kind of kill ratio since they are minority to begin with. For the last two years the Taliban has been taking very heavy casualties in almost every operation with allied forces. They are still trying the same tactics used against Russia, but they are not working this time and they have had considerable attrition in their leadership ranks too. This has led to a sense of paranoia and distrust within their ranks. Yesterday a report out of Pakistan suggested that country had agreed to permit hot pursuit of the fleeing Taliban by allied forces. This break down in the use of a sanctuary should put further pressure on their meager forces.