Taleban seize 'truce' town from elders
Taleban fighters have seized control of a strategic town in southern Afghanistan left by British troops after a peace deal with local elders. More than 300 fighters went on the rampage in Musa Qala in Helmand province, the poppy heartland of the countrys opium trade.
They disarmed local police and terrified residents, setting their homes ablaze. They also destroyed a compound used by the district governor and the police. There were reports last night that the Taleban fighters were digging trenches in key positions to prepare for an attempt by Nato forces to regain control of the town.
The raid dealt a blow to British hopes that local elders, backed by the police, could keep the Taleban at bay after a truce negotiated late last year.
The truce was agreed after more than two months of heavy fighting between the British and the Taleban in which six British soldiers were killed.
The agreement caused dismay among the US military, who complained that the towns elders would be unable to contain the Taleban threat. Britain said that the agreement, if successful, could provide a model for future security arrangements in other Afghan towns and villages.
The timing of yesterdays Taleban raid could not have been more provocative. It coincided with the handover of the command of the Nato-led Isaf forces from General David Richards, a Briton, to General Dan McNeill, an American who, according to defence sources, considered the Musa Qala deal to be a mistake. A hard-core Taleban commander who was living near Musa Qala survived a missile attack on his house recently and was later run out of town by the elders. The raid could have been his revenge.
Brigadier Jerry Thomas, the commander of the UK Task Force in Helmand, and other Isaf commanders, will have to decide whether the Taleban in Musa Qala should driven out.Colonel Tom Collins, the Isaf spokesman, said that there were conflicting reports that the elders who had agreed the deal had been taken hostage.
Reports from residents in the town said that between 200 and 300 Taleban had descended on Musa Qala. Assadullah Waffa, the new governor of Helmand, said that the militants had first entered Musa Qala on Wednesday and had disarmed the Afghan police. They returned last night and destroyed part of the village compound housing used by the district governor and police. British and other Nato commanders responsible for Helmand province were holding emergency meetings last night to decide what action to take.