Combat in Nuristan

U.S. Forces Afghanistan reports "eight ISAF and two ANSF service members" killed in action...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Oct. 4)- Two joint International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Security Forces outposts were attacked in the Nuristan province of eastern Afghanistan Saturday morning.

Nuristani tribal militia launched the attacks from a local mosque and nearby village.

Coalition forces effectively repelled the attack and inflicted heavy enemy casualties while eight ISAF and two ANSF service members were killed.

"My heart goes out to the families of those we have lost and to their fellow Soldiers who remained to finish this fight," said Col. Randy George, commander of Task Force Mountain Warrior. "This was a complex attack in a difficult area. Both the U.S. and Afghan Soldiers fought bravely together; I am extremely proud of their professionalism and bravery."

Names will be withheld pending next of kin notification.

More from the Times (London):

...hundreds of insurgents attacked a pair of isolated outposts in eastern Afghanistan, killing eight US soldiers and several Afghan policemen in the deadliest battle in 15 months.
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The two outposts on a hill in the remote and mountainous province of Nuristan, a Taleban and al-Qaeda stronghold on the lawless Pakistan border, were attacked before dawn on Saturday by around 300 insurgents from a mosque and a nearby village.

They stormed the Afghan police post at the foot of the hill then swept on to the Nato post further up. The attack was repelled with the help of US airpower but the ferocious battle lasted many hours.
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Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taleban spokesman, said that the insurgents included several suicide bombers and that they had captured 35 policemen whose fate would be decided by the movement's provincial council.

Jamaludin Badar, the governor of Nuristan province, said that Taleban fighters had fled to Nuristan after Pakistani troops drove extremists from the Swat Valley earlier this year.
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The US has suffered some of its worst casualties in eastern Afghanistan, where its soldiers have sought to control the remote passes through which Taleban fighters infiltrate from Pakistan, but it had planned shortly to withdraw from the area as part of General McChrystal's strategy to focus on protecting population centres.

"Coalition forces' previously announced plans to depart the area as part of a broader realignment to protect larger population centers remain unchanged."

"Unchanged" also means "waiting for Washington" - and moving in slow motion. Meanwhile, troops remain spread thin.

"Gen. McChrystal has been discussing with his commanders how better to protect the population, not just necessarily hold pieces of land," says Shanks. "We're more concerned with repositioning forces across the country in order to better isolate the insurgents from the population."
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Currently, there are more than 60,000 U.S. troops and about 35,000 troops serving in NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. That means McChrystal needs to maximize the impact of the number he has, pulling them out of areas where progress has been slow or troops have been bogged down in a stubborn battle with insurgents in isolated areas.

One of those areas is Nuristan, in Afghanistan's northeast.
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"There have been cases where small elements of U.S. forces -- platoon-size, company-size elements -- have almost been overrun and would have been overrun if not for the reliance on artillery fire and close air support," Fussell says.

Final decisions on disposition of forces await further instruction from Washington - but opposition forces in Nuristan spend considerably less time debating strategy.

Today's Washington Post has a feature on one of the "cases where small elements of U.S. forces -- platoon-size, company-size elements -- have almost been overrun" - the 2008 battle of Wanat:

"It is almost a lost cause up in Nurestan," 1st Lt. Jonathan Brostrom said a few weeks before his death in the attack. "There needs to be a lot more than just a platoon there if you want to make a big difference."

More:

Washington Post coverage of yesterday's battle here

By Sunday morning, when the U.S. military made the attack public in a statement, the area was "largely secure but I do think there is still some activity," said Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a U.S. military spokeswoman.

In addition to the eight soldiers killed, several others were injured, said Rear Adml. Gregory J. Smith, but he did not specify the number. The American soldiers called in ground reinforcements, along with attack helicopter, airplanes and surveillance drones during the fighting. U.S. forces eventually repelled the attack while inflicting "a significant amount of casualties" on insurgents, Smith said.

Due to the "very challenging terrain," the insurgents had "pretty effective firing positions," Smith said. "It was obviously a very, very difficult day."

The story also provides a glimpse at the frustration experienced by those in Afghanistan unable to rapidly execute a strategic plan:

The American soldiers from this outpost were scheduled to depart the area as part of the new U.S. strategy to focus on securing areas with larger populations. Capt. Mathias said the soldiers at the outpost were not expected to leave this month and had not yet begun to prepare for their departure when they came under attack. Smith, who did not specify the number of American soldiers at the outpost, said such isolated bases at times have only "limited impact" against the insurgents.

But includes a quote supporting those in Washington who prefer debate:

"Americans always want to fight in Afghanistan," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, who took credit for the attack by telephone. "If the Americans want to increase their troops, we will increase our fighters as well."

Both the Post story and the London Times' coverage offer arguments from the provincial governor in favor of reinforcing Nuristan.

The Times:

Jamaludin Badar, the governor of Nuristan province, said that Taleban fighters had fled to Nuristan after Pakistani troops drove extremists from the Swat Valley earlier this year. He said that he had sought more security forces for Kamdesh district, adding: "When there are few security forces this is what happens."

Badar, the provincial governor, said he was unaware of American plans to abandon their outpost in the area. He said that his province has a shortage of Afghan soldiers and an incompetent police force. The province is at risk of falling to the Taliban if the Americans pull out, he said.

"I request that they stay. If they leave, it will be very dangerous for Nuristan," he said.

But while hopes for the eventual commitment of sufficient resources could contribute to the slow pace of consolidation of limited ISAF forces, other areas in Afghanistan have already been designated as more immediate priority to the campaign.

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that Afghan security forces likely drew the brunt of the initial assault. According to Mohammad Farooq, Nuristan's deputy police chief, the attack began by taking out the police radio system. "Since the attack began I've been unable to communicate with the police chief. We are still trying to find out where he is." In addition, "the fate of the rest of the 90-strong police force in Kamdesh district was unknown."

Mujahid, described as "a Taleban spokesman" in the Times account, claimed 35 policemen were captured, and their fate would be decided by the movement's provincial council. He added that the district police chief and intelligence chief were among the hostages.

ISAF/USFORA have thus far described the attackers as "village militia" - avoiding the use of the term Taliban, but regardless of who holds the ground in Nuristan (for now) that organization has scored a tremendous propaganda coup.

A footnote - from Bill Roggio

Afghan officials described the attackers as Taliban, Uzbek, and Arab fighters who crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan.
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The attack was launched by Taliban leader Dost Mohammed, a senior US military intelligence official who specializes in the situation along the Afghan-Pakistani border told The Long War Journal. The official said that elements from the Shadow Army "stiffened" Dost's forces, which are considered able and effective fighters in their own right.

A top White House adviser said Sunday Afghanistan is in no imminent danger of falling to the Taliban and dismissed concern the group's resurgence could fuel a renewed Al-Qaeda sanctuary there.

"I don't foresee the return of the Taliban and I want to be very clear that Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling," said White House National Security Adviser James Jones.
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But the retired general insisted that the presence of Al-Qaeda -- which launched the September 11 attacks on the United States -- was "very diminished" across Afghanistan, with fewer than 100 members of the group operating there and "no bases, no ability to launch attacks."
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Jones insisted coalitions forces on the ground in Afghanistan are "robust." The solution to regaining the upper hand, he said, is "much more complex" than just deploying additional troops.