May 24, 2006 [LINK]
The recent upsurge of combat in Afghanistan was reported in the mainstream media as if it signified a big setback, but what actually happened is that hundreds of Taliban forces were killed, and the rest retreated to their mountain refuges along the Pakistani border. A large group of Taliban guerrillas hiding in in a Kandahar religious school were killed by a smart bomb, showing once again the superior intelligence capabilities of the U.S.-led Coalition. The defeat of terrorists is analyzed by Strategy Page. As in Iraq, the insurgent forces are desperately trying to take advantage of the weakening of public support for the war in the United States, without much effect. Hopefully, this will reassure Canadians who became anxious after several of their soldiers were killed in Afghanistan recently. Parts of that country will remain unstable for years to come, as the new democratic government gradually asserts control, but that does not mean it is a "quagmire."