Failed Enemy Winter Operations Part of Trump’s New Afghanistan Strategy

Sami’ullah Zarmati

The US President Donald Trump, made public his Afghanistan strategy several months ago, which coincided with a massive wave of psychological and propaganda warfare by the enemy media against the Mujahideen. American generals issued their threats one after the other and the media exaggerated them and stressed that Trump’s strategy would go into effect in the early winter season and that it will result inevitably in the crushing defeat of the Mujahideen in this country.

Before winter sets in, American media spread propaganda and prepared people’s minds to accept what is dictated to them. Every day, they hummed about a military report such as the arrival of more troops and new intelligence men to this country and more warplanes to Bagram air base, and the completion of preparations for reconnaissance and combat operations, and other news aimed to spread fear in the hearts of the Mujahideen. Those reports suggested to people that President Trump would show on the battlefield the war innovations that would make the Mujahideen face difficulties and that they would lose numerous areas currently under their control. However the people neglected that Trump, in truth, did not have the means of power and victory on the ground, making him resort to propaganda war and rumors.

By the beginning of the winter season, Trump’s strategy started with the launch of the first extensive military operations by American forces and their agent Afghan forces in Helmand, Ghazni, and Uruzgan provinces. In Helmand, the enemy set their first target on Marjah directorate. In mid-September of last year, massive enemy military forces comprised of Americans and puppets under air cover attacked Marjah district. The Mujahideen fought them and put up strong resistance.

The attack by American forces lasted for ten days. The troops involved made great effort to advance and found cover under powerful air raids on the area.  But the result was more dead and wounded among them and failure to advance forward. As for the Mujahideen, they used new combat tactics and precautionary measures to put up a strong resistance against the enemy. They protected their elements from loss because of the barbaric air strikes by enemy aircraft. When the enemy observed the tough resistance by the Mujahideen on the one hand, and the losses in their ranks on the other, they lost their will to fight or to continue combat. So they withdrew from the battlefield in great confusion and fled to the center of the province (Lashkargah city).

Simultaneously with the failed operations in Helmand, the defense department of the agent government under the leadership of its Chief of Staff, General Shareef al-Yaftali, in late December, launched an attack named Desert Storm on the districts of Qarah Bagh, Ander, and Dah Yek in Ghazni province. The department led a military force, consisting of 150 tanks and hundreds of troops under air protection of helicopters, to battle. Those forces started their attack first on Qarah Bagh district. The Mujahideen fought them in Noroz Khel village. On the first day of battle, they destroyed three tanks. Enemy soldiers fled, leaving the bodies of 12 slain soldiers on the battlefield.

Enemy soldiers tried their strength for ten days in Qarah Bagh but they could not recover any territory controlled by the Mujahideen. The enemy, during that battle, lost dozens of their troops. When the enemy decided to flee, their soldiers took revenge for their defeat by targeting the population of the area. They beat people and humiliated them. They blew up the doors of their homes and looted their property in Qarah Bagh village and they ran away after that.

After the failure in Qarah Bagh, government forces attacked Noghi area, east of Ghazni city. The Mujahideen fought them in this area as well from morning to evening until they defeated them. Some days after this defeat, other forces came to rescue the defeated forces. The entire force, which consisted of 200 tanks and hundreds of soldiers, marched under air protection, to Andar.

The Mujahideen set up ambushes to those forces in the areas alongside the road. They targeted enemy forces and fought them until sundown. They destroyed several tanks and inflicted heavy losses on the soldiers.

Government aircraft bombed some homes in the area, killing civilians including an elderly man and a woman. However, government forces lost hope trying to advance in this directorate. So they withdrew to Dah Yek district where these forces failed not descend from the public road to the village. So they withdrew from it as well. They declared the end of operation Desert Storm on the 7th of January 2018 and withdrew to Ghazni city and from there to the capital, Kabul. They gained from this large operation nothing but lies and the claim of having killed dozens of Mujahideen and regained areas that were under their control. As for the Mujahideen losses in all these battles, only one Mujahid was martyred (may Allah accept him) and five others were wounded.

During the same time of these military operations in Helmand and Ghazni provinces, the enemy launched a military operation in Uruzgan province as well in order to reclaim the areas under Mujahideen control in the center of Tarinkot city. However the enemy attack failed. The official spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate declared on January 10th that the joint American and Afghan troops’ attack that lasted for twenty days experienced failure in Uruzgan province and did not accomplish their goal. The enemy ran away from the battlefield.

According to confirmed information about the Tarinkot battles, 87 enemy soldiers, army, police, and militia members, including three of their commanders were killed, 138 were injured and 7 tanks were completely destroyed.

The enemy carried out more than twenty attacks on Mujahideen ground under air cover and protection. But they all faced fierce resistance by the Mujahideen and failed.

The Mujahideen lost 9 soldiers (may Allah accept them) while 9 others were injured.

Enemy defeats in Helmand, Ghazni and Uruzgan provinces prove that Trump’s strategy is incapable of achieving any change in favor of America and its puppets in Afghanistan and that it will not cause any major problems for the Mujahideen. We trust Allah the Almighty who promised us victory. We are also certain that the enemy will face a bitter defeat in Afghanistan sooner or later, Allah willing, and that the injustice of infidelity and occupation will be erased with Allah’s permission, and that the Islamic system alone will rule the land of Islam and the martyrs. Allah is indeed capable of that.