On MondayWaPo reported Bush is facing pressure from the US military to shift focus from Iraq to Afghanistan including increasing force levels in the latter. InterestinglyStars and Stripes reports today that US and Afghan forces are clashing with a new enemy in Afghanistan…
ZABUL PROVINCE,
Afghanistan — Foreign fighters with military uniforms are attacking
U.S. and Afghan government forces in Zabul province using conventional
infantry tactics, soldiers report.
Intelligence suggests the foreign fighters are from Uzbekistan and the rebellious Russian territory of Chechnya, in central Asia, he said.“The foreign fighters tend to be better trained and financed than
the average Taliban. They have LBVs (load bearing vests) and canteens
and sometimes black or green uniforms,” he said.During firefights the foreigners use conventional infantry tactics
like flanking, bounding and fixing targets, whereas attacks by local
Pashtun Taliban are usually poorly executed, Piluek said.SNIP
“You can tell if
the enemy are well-trained,” he said. “If their attack is expertly
executed, soldiers assume it is foreign fighters. When it is poorly
executed, soldiers assume it is locals.”