Hello and welcome to a reading from The Taliban – Afghanistan’s Most Lethal Insurgent Group, written by Mark Silinsky and published by Praeger, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing in New York, New York. This reading is brought to you by Kensington Security Consulting, where we bring education to national security.
Profile 16: Juma and Sameena - A Boy and a Girl
He said he was 4, but he was probably about 6 or 7. He was too tall for a 4-year-old. Like the other boys in Ghazni Province with whom he played, rag-clad and hair-mussed Juma Gul collected scraps of metal to help his family eat. Juma enjoyed watching soccer. In June 2007, the Taliban grabbed the boy off the streets and placed a suicide vest on him. They told him to hurl himself against U.S. soldiers and pull a magic cord.
But Juma thought the better of it and decided to deliver himself to Afghan soldiers, saving his life and probably that of several Afghan and U.S. troops. "When they first put the vest on my body, I didn't know what to think, but then I felt the bomb. After I figured out it was a bomb, I went to the Afghan soldiers for help."
The Taliban denied the story, adding that they did not involve small children in suicide operations. They did not, however, explain how a suicide belt managed to fasten itself to the torso of a 6-year-old boy. Juma did not walk away empty-handed from his decision not to blow himself up among American soldiers. U.S. forces in the area passed the hat for Juma, and the boy was given ample money to feed his family without having to collect scrap metal for months. He had plenty of time to watch soccer.
Sameena was 13 in 2008 when she and another schoolgirl were ensnared in a suicide-bombing training program run by teachers at a madrassa in North Waziristan. When she went missing, her mother contacted local police, who began a search. In the program, Sameena was indoctrinated into the jihadist cause. “We saw thousands of video clips showing the atrocities of the U.S. forces against Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. We were ready to act as suicide bombers, kill pro-U.S. forces, and win the blessings of God." She was rescued by police, one of whom said, “The situation is extremely bad. We have saved the two girls from becoming suicide bombers, but indications are that the trend of women training as suicide bombers has gained currency."
Ambush Attacks - “Green Hell” and “Omar’s Bed”
Suicide bombs are dreaded for their unpredictability and lethality. So are ambushes, a common Taliban tactic. Ambushes rely on stealth, preparation, and coordination. They are intended to outmaneuver the superior military capabilities of the Afghan and Coalition Forces.
The Taliban will attack government patrols in teams, often firing volleys of two or three RPGs from multiple firing positions, followed by light and heavy machinegun fire. Sometimes the order is reversed, with bursts of machinegun fire preceding RPG and mortar attacks. The Taliban often attack from mutually supporting fields of fire.
The Taliban will often fire from trenches that adjoin the roads. In both Afghanistan and Pakistan, they will hide in the nearby mountains, open fire, and then retreat into the mountains. One U.S. soldier said, “This is what they do. They come out of their hideouts and fire at the troops and then disappear.” The Taliban also taunt patrolling soldiers by wrapping white ribbons around trees, demonstrating their ability to attack at will. One U.S. soldier explained that the Taliban signal, 'we're here and we're watching you.’ This causes anxiety among U.S. forces because "It's the way the Taliban operate that makes the war so terrifying and so difficult. You can't even see the enemy before they open fire.”
Ambush is a daily fear for soldiers and Marines, and bullets and munitions appear from nowhere and everywhere. In 2010, Marine LCPL Kyle Carpenter, shown in figure 11, saw a hand grenade tossed from a rooftop during the battle of Marjah. It landed near a fellow Marine, and Carpenter shielded the Marine, absorbing much of the blast and shrapnel. As a result, he lost an eye and the use of an arm. His face was permanently and severely scarred. Carpenter has been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Throughout the year, the Taliban ambushed the government and Coalition Forces. But springtime gives the Taliban a strong tactical advantage because parts of Afghanistan are draped in thick vegetation. As with the foliage and canopy exploited by insurgents in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Central America, Afghanistan’s green belts give the Taliban concealment. Snipers have become adept at using foliage to screen their movements and to lure Afghan patrols. One American officer explained, “They've watched us all winter, seeing how we work."
The green grasses and balmy nights of springtime draw fighters from Waziristan and Swat in Pakistan, as well as from Afghan provinces, to sleep outdoors. One tribal elder referred to the masses of Taliban sleeping under the stars as “Mullah Omar’s beds.”
The lush spring vegetation makes it easier to conceal and plant roadside bombs. As one American soldier explained, “Everywhere we walk out there could be our last step. Guys are very meticulous about what they do. They're scared, I hate to use that term, but they're just very aware of what they're doing.”
The Taliban have improvised and shifted their tactics. Their military capabilities continue to improve. In 2007, a group of 75 Taliban tried to overrun a US-led Coalition base in southern Afghanistan in a rare frontal assault. They attacked from three sides, firing their weapons and supported by mortar fire and 107mm rockets. The capability for these large-scale, coordinated attacks increased. By summer 2010, some Taliban fighters were using tactics similar to Coalition Forces. The Taliban have also adapted to urban surveillance and sniping.
