Bill Roggio’s update - we’re kicking ass
Bill Roggio does an excellent job of reporting the finer details of al-Qaeda’s demise. I say that with confidence because al-Qaeda is having a difficult time right now. They’re getting their collective butts kicked by former “friends” or “alliances” in Diyala Province and the Taliban aren’t up for it in Afghanistan - it’s back to Tora Bora.
Speaking of Diyala province, Roggio quotes the MNF in his post:
In an unprecedented combined action in Diyala Province, Iraqi police and citizen volunteers defeated a coordinated attack of approximately 40-60 al-Qaeda terrorists in the southern Burhitz area of Baqubah, Wednesday, and killed an estimated 21 insurgents, wounding more.
As the terrorists entered the city of Burhitz, a group of concerned local citizens, called ‘Baqubah Guardians,’ and IPs stationed in Burhitz engaged the first wave of attackers, killing seven. At least two suicide bombers were killed before they reached their intended targets, with the bomb vests detonating prematurely.
The IP notified the Provincial Joint Coordination Center and requested Coalition Force attack helicopter support after the first engagement. Attack helicopters arrived and engaged another large group of heavily armed fighters staging near the first attack site, killing or wounding an estimated 14 terrorists.
In another post, Roggio notes that the Taliban, always expounding on fear and intimidation, are taking it on the chin in Tora Bora - though we have lost three soldiers.
US-led troops in eastern Afghanistan kicked off a major offensive Sunday designed to root out Taliban, al Qaeda, and Hizb-i-Islami-Gulbadin fighters hiding in southeastern Nangahar province. So far, the fighting has killed at least three American GIs, two of whom were Green Berets. Local government officials say up to 50 militants are dead with another 40 “under siege.” The fighting has forced as many as 100 families in the area to flee. Early reports say at least seven civilians have been killed. The US troops, augmented by the Afghan National Army and close air support, are targeting “hundreds of foreign fighters” who are well-entrenched.
