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Taliban Shoot Down a US Helicopter? |
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The BBC reports that the Taliban claim to have shot down a US helicopter, while the military says the aircraft made a "hard landing."
Apparently this incident is only one of a series of disputed crashes. A few weeks ago, the Taliban told Al-Jazeera they had shot a helicopter down, but the US denied it. In May 2007 there was a similar incident when a Chinook went down in Helmand. As The Times commented,
The Taleban’s apparent success in downing a Chinook will ring alarm bells throughout the Nato force in Afghanistan. The British force in Helmand relies on Chinooks for transporting troops and supplies and evacuating casualties.
Finally, in June 2005 the Taliban claimed responsibility for a Chinook crash which killed 17 Americans.
I point out these incidents to show that we face a sophisticated enemy in the Taliban. And let me add that some Taliban fighters are ones trained in anti-aircraft missions by US-affiliated personnel during the Soviet occupation of the country. We need to remember that history, because we are in danger of losing a war of attrition. We need to have a different strategy from the Soviets, one which doesn't believe that endless warfare will somehow bring us victory just because we are stronger. As I've said before, we need to undercut the Taliban's support through serious and creative development projects and by supporting Afghan leaders who want to talk to the Taliban.
