Analysis of the Taliban Tactics

Afghanistan has seen its fair share of bloodied wars over the last three decades or so and it has been a notoriously difficult country to fight in even to survive in, its harsh terrain and numerous mountain ranges and high altitude plateaus of unforgiving land, can be one that has tested and seen off its foreign visitors in past and probably future campaigns.

The Taliban have had the benefit of a long and hardy experience fighting and operating in this inhospitable place of arid heat and treacherous desert parched lands, it’s no wonder any campaign will endure a deep and soulful reunion and face its dark night of the soul.

To understand better how the Guerrilla style tactics of the Taliban are difficult to combat we need to take a closer look into how they organise and execute there attacks.

Fighting the Invisible Enemy

The Taliban fighters have long infiltrated into the heart of the communities and have been a long standing oppressor and dictator of the afghan people, long enough for them to have a permanent influence on the psyche and the rule of the land.

They have a strong influence over the people still to this day and they can easily feed there campaign from an invisible stature, they can walk freely amongst the people by day and in a moments notice bring to bare an arsenal that is highly mobile and with deadly consequences.

They understanding that there enemy are large and numerous and bring with them an array of heavy fighting machinery and advanced technology but the more complicated your arsenal the slower it is to use and move into place for it to be truly effective in battle.

They have the advantage of speed and time as they can freely manoeuvre discreetly as civilians with the added bonus of cache's of fighting equipment stocked in many locations around the perfect cover of a populated area.

The disadvantages of being a foreign force

Fighting any Guerrilla campaign has its disadvantages because of many factors, being a uniformed foreign force in this unforgiving land brings many hard disadvantages such as speed and manoeuvrability, everywhere you go your presence is always known about and tracked by the curious populous and pro supporters of the Taliban.

If mobility wasn't the only problem then you had the other difficulty of carry around all the equipment to fight and survive with, a patrolling soldier will carry in upwards of 80 - 90 lbs on his body with the added problems of wearing body armour in temperatures that can exceed 50 degrees.

With long probing patrols on foot or vehicle mounted every turn and journey carries a risk of Improvised Explosive Devices or quick and deadly ambushes from a relaxed enemy who only needs to sit and wait until a prefect opportunity arises for them to take advantage of.

Key elements of a Taliban Ambush

For the Taliban it is an easy network of intelligence gathering as they hold an influence over the towns and populace, every town has eyes and ears that converse back and forth to any known movements of foreign troops near or far.

They have the added advantage of knowing the intricate details of the town layout and with ease can record troop movements and try to foretell behavioural patterns of patrolling directions, in the end no matter how many different routes you try to plan it’s only going to work for a short time.

They having the time and ease of planning and can prepare in advance a network of deadly traps and multiple cache points of hidden weapons at various locations ready to be used at a moments notice.

They understand well who they are fighting and know how long it can take before foreign troops can receive back up via air support or ground attacking groups like artillery or mortars.

They conduct a quick and fierce onslaught of machine gunfire and rocket propelled grenades that draws your attention on to the temporary fight and then continue to hit you from different locations from around the town and then disappear before air support fly’s in and silences the battle for a short time.

These skirmishes are usually very intense and fierce as the Taliban know that they have a short amount of time to try and create as much carnage as possible with the intent to create confusion and causalities.

These kinds of ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics play well for them as they can blend back into the populace undetected safe in the knowledge that foreign troops will fight back out of the ambush to minimise collateral damage.

Pros and Cons of Forward Operating Bases

To get into the heart of a populace you have to be seen with them but at the same time operating from a static location limits you strategically.

Pros

To cut down the disadvantages of long patrols and delays in back up in a contact situation where you are being engaged by the enemy, it would be seen as a slight advantage to place a fortified base in a hostile location.

This however can improve how you respond to incidents that are happening on the ground with more speed and a greater amount of military force.

Where you can also have the added benefit of holding more troops and heavier attack equipment that increase your fighting capabilities with superior power and the advantage of longer reaching ranges that can have a devastating effect on the enemy because they are also governed by the range of there arsenals.

You also have the added advantage of having an all round defence of troops and heavy fighting equipment that can instantly be used with a ferocity that only the Taliban could tell stories about.

Also you have a powerful and prepared base that you can now conduct more probing patrols into the towns where the locals can become familiar with you face to face, where communications can begin and strategies to build infrastructure such as irrigation, sanitation's and field hospitals for both your own troops and the locals.

Simply put if your arsenal of weapons can only be accurate up to 400 meters and I have weapons that can reach you a mile away, I would have the advantage because you have to now get closer to me to attack but I can still attack you when your weapons are out of range.

Also another advantage is that you can hold out longer and fight longer as long as your supplies reach you often, with food, water, medical and most importantly ammunition's.

Cons

The disadvantages of having a forward operating base or platoon house as some have become known are limited capabilities for manoeuvrability. Without the advantage of movement you are predictable and easy prey.

Being static in one place can be a deadly epidemic for strategic attacks as the enemy can now cleverly begin to zone in on your fixed position with more accuracy and build up a deadly response each time they attack.

With such a disadvantage each time an attack occurs your enemy can now begin to dig in with there mortars and bring them onto your position until they finally find you and maximise the risk of casualties and damage.

It can also work in there favour as they have more time to build up cache’s of machine guns and rocket propelled grenades and explosive devices around you that will allow them to slip in and attack and then dump of there weapons and slide back into the populace so you will now be under increasing attacks day and night.

Also they can create strategic attacks at known times of re-supplying the bases and try to starve you of your food and ammunition's.

Final Summery

Guerrilla Warfare is a hazardous game of cat and mouse and with all battles or campaigns strategies are always evolving, there is never a clear and direct method of wining but only an ever changing game of strategies will finally define the outcome.