Intense fighting in Northern Alliance territory - ADA News August 17th, 2019

[MSgt Falconer]

Intense fighting in Northern Alliance territory.
Insurgents gain ground at heavy cost.

 

Kinduf region, Afghanistan. Heavy fighting erupted last night in the central part of the Kinduf region in northern Afghanistan. A large number of Insurgents attacked several small outposts belonging to the so called Northern Alliance, a conglomeration government consisting of local politicians, military officers and tribal elders who seized power in the region following the Afghan Governments complete withdrawal from the region. The northern alliance had successfully fought both the Taliban and ISIS-A to a standstill in th e region. In an effort to restore order to the region the Pentagon has acknowledged that US special forces are deployed in the region but have not disclosed what units and what size.

 

Last weekend reports came in about large Insurgent movements around two small outposts held by the Northern Alliance between the towns of Kinduf and Kaele Noowi. A spokesperson for the US forces in the region who asked to remain anonymous stated the following: “Our local partner force reported that two of their outposts had come under attack by large number of insurgents, both vehicle bourne and on foot. A response force was swiftly gathered and sent to the outposts via helicopter. One of the outposts was held with heavy casualties inflicted on the attacking insurgents, the other suffered severe structural damage and the decision was made to destroy all sensitive material and evacuate to the outpost in order to concentrate the thinly spread Northern Alliance forces into more defensible locations. All in all one US and three or four Northern Alliance soldiers were killed in comparison to well over forty insurgents at each of the sites, including several enemy vehicles. We expect to have the Taliban threat in the central Kinduf region contained within a week ”

 

With one of the outposts evacuated reports of Taliban movement in the region have increased significantly and rumors of an attempt by the Taliban to secure the region by setting up a system of roadblocks and strongpoints have been circulating in the region. Taliban spokesperson Alhib Ansour released a statement claiming: “Our Brave warriors have driven the infidels and western crusaders from our land, they have bled the enemy dry and inflicted on him a great wound from which he will not recover. With the help of almighty god we will continue our holy war against the foreign crusaders, we will choke our rivers with their dead, we will sow the fields with their limbs, we will suffer this indignation no longer, god willing we shall be victorious.”

 

The Taliban statement does however fail to meet the reality on the ground where large forces of the Northern Alliance are being reorganized and deployed to contain the Taliban incursion. Despite the heavy fighting very few Northern Alliance casualties have been reported whereas the fields around the outpost still in Northern Alliance hand are littered will the bodies of slain Taliban fighters. This reporter was unable to gain access to the outpost now allegedly in Taliban hands.

 

Northern Alliance military and police secure Taliban fighters captured after their attack on a Northern Alliance outpost.

 

Regardless of the Taliban's bombastic claims of holy wars and the american talk of containment it sadly seems like the fighting in Afghanistan is far from over. ADA News will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated on this new development.

Simon Tam
ADA News, Middle East Division