The Truth of the War in Helmand

Peace and blessings upon the Seal of Prophets and Messengers, our Sayyed Muhammad al-Sadeq al-Amin, and upon his family and his pure Companions. Subsequent to the failed London Conference, which included the infidel countries of the NATO alliance, as well as Arab and Islamic countries providing them with aid and support, which have long ago fallen into the swamp of treachery, a great catastrophe has befallen those infidel and lackey countries.

This catastrophe emerged from the mouths of the NATO leaders, when they declared the failure of the war against the Mujahideen, revealed by their statements about finding alternative ways to the military options by inviting the Taliban to participate in the government. Add to that the conflicting positions among these leaders over Afghanistan: some of them want to flee and some of them are calling for dialogue, among other positions, all of which reveal their attempt to flee and exit from the Afghan quagmire with minimal losses.

This is not the first fracture in the NATO alliance and its allies. There have been statements from the leaders of member nations which have refused to send more troops - including France, Spain, Turkey and Italy – or to shift their forces to the south, to take part in combat operations against the Taliban, especially as they daily hear news of the losses sustained by those forces. Likewise the German defense minister has refused to increase the number of his troops to the level desired by the United States. He also refused to transfer their mission from the stable north to the south where the Taliban have lit a fire under the feet of the NATO soldiers, thereby compelling Obama to increase troop strength there. Likewise the call made by the British prime minister for negotiations with the Taliban and the reaction of the Americans to these comments, among other things, have revealed the entanglement of these states in Afghanistan. Even the push by the new Crusader Obama for additional troops in Afghanistan reveals the size of this dilemma from which the West does not know how to escape.

Since the war on Afghanistan began, there have been statements by NATO leaders, or through the mouths of their lackeys in the Karzai government, concerning the victories of and losses inflicted by the Mujahideen. But, as the popular proverb says, “the rope of a lie is short”. The length of their lie is no more than one centimeter. But it has become openly clear that these forces have achieved none of the things that media trumpeters claim. Rather the Taliban movement has the ascendancy and the upper hand in Afghanistan through their control, as has been acknowledged by enemy leaders themselves, from the mouth of Mike Mullen, head of the joint staff organization for the American occupation, who stated that Taliban influence extends to 11 out of 34 states, or one-third of the total.

Add together the escalation of the movement’s military activity, and continuous heavy losses inflicted on the enemy, and one of the largest operations conducted by Taliban, known as 'The Invasion of the Twenty', in Kabul, which have revealed the strength of the Taliban and the extent of their control at the time of the announcement by the government of the traitor Karzai and the London Conference on Afghanistan. But there is one matter many have missed in this blessed operation, and this is the control of the Taliban over Kabul.

Yes! The Taliban have taken control of Kabul. It is a well known military fact that control over government buildings and the presidential palace means the fall of the regime and this is what the Taliban have done with twenty Mujahedeen who were able to take control of the largest government center in Kabul to send a sharp message in strong language that is able to hit home. Additionally, it revealed the extent of the weakness of the infidel forces and the stooge Afghan army, showing these forces to be like a senile old dog that cannot budge.

Thus the NATO alliance had to respond by directing a sharp blow to the movement. Because, after the failure of the crusader alliance and its helpers in fracturing the ranks of the movement and the movement’s refusal to join the government; the alliance had to undertake a military campaign against the Taliban. It therefore announced the operation it wanted to conduct against the Taliban in Helmand.

This matter caused real amazement from a military standpoint, in that they would want to deliver a sharp blow against a movement using guerilla warfare and hit and run tactics, and yet announce that you’re preparing for an attack and amassing large forces to fight it. It is well known that the Taliban movement operates without fixed bases, airstrips or centers for gathering its forces. Simply put, it is not an organized army. Its personnel are like ghosts, as is stated by the enemy’s leaders. So how do you attack them when you announced beforehand that you are making preparations for this against them? Even NATO’s intelligence about the movement is sparse, as its leaders state, it is therefore clear that the goal of this operations is propaganda and nothing more. Thus it is that the commander of British who claimed that this operation was a surprise to the Taliban movement and that it had sustained serious losses. Here we see the extent of the lies of these and the level of contempt they have for their peoples’ intelligence. How could it be a surprise, when it was announced before the London Conference??? And before this was the statement made by the so-called Afghan minister of defense who said “We do not want to destroy the Taliban, but to liberate Helmand”???

The alliance and its leaders know well that they can enter Helmand and control it, although this will cost them many casualties and heavy losses. This has been revealed in the first days of the campaign, when many soldiers from NATO and the apostate Afghan army have fallen but have not yet taken control of Helmand, as the enemy states.

There are also conflicting statements from the enemies and its stooges regarding the number of their dead. You find a spokesman for the lackey Afghan government claiming that only two NATO soldiers have been killed, while the Taliban movement declares that they killed six soldiers. The confirmation comes from NATO itself, announcing the death of six soldiers just as the Taliban organization had previously said. And those Taliban said to have been killed: it is later revealed that were civilians. This is case every time that the alliance claims that it killed many Taliban Mujahideen, it is later clear that they were civilians, thereby showing the world the extent of the crimes of those forces, which make no distinction between a civilian and a combatant, because (to them) they are all targets.

The Taliban movement is not a precipitous cyclonic movement, or a movement that makes itself easy prey for the NATO alliance, which struggles to drag the organization into open confrontation like what happens between organized armies. The Taliban movement and its military leaders know that the NATO alliance possess a huge military arsenal, especially in air power. I do not say land power, because the enemy is afraid to meet the Taliban face-to-face. It is a known military fact that any military operation begins with an aerial and rocket attack, in order to weaken the enemy and clear the field for the ground forces. This is in addition to the assumption that when one of us knows that a bomb will kill him or that a rocket will strike his position; he will immediately evacuate and search for a safer place. If we told you that a rock and not a rocket would fall upon you, you would leave the place you were in to protect yourself. What do you think of the fighters, who will search for places providing protection from the rockets, and from which they can direct strikes against the enemies and set up ambushes, so that those fighters do not sustain great losses even though they’re facing forces equipped with the modern weapons in the world.

The statements of the enemy make it clear that the Taliban movement employ ambushes and mines to delay the advance of the enemy, and inflict huge losses upon them in lives and equipment. Even if these forces seize control of Helmand and elsewhere, for many reasons they will not be able to stay there long.

For forces of this size to stay, it would mean establishing new bases, costing NATO huge sums of money. Add to that the fact that these bases would be considered an easy target for the Mujahideen whether by means of rockets, mortars or periodic raids on these bases, just as is the case with the remainder of the bases located in Afghanistan. For this reason, these forces will labor to hand over control of these towns and villages to the lackey Afghan army. They will then withdraw to save their skins, and leave them (the Afghan army) to suffer the calamities of trading blows with the heroic Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate, which will then recover control of those districts. The enemy knows this well. Thus we said that the purpose of this campaign is propaganda only and nothing more, specifically to win over infidel western opinion, where voices are increasingly raised; demanding the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. This is especially true after nine years of war there, without any results worth mentioning. Rather defeat follows defeat. This is what NATO has achieved: losses and casualties and nothing more.

I would like to mention that losses in war are not only measured in casualties only. There are also material losses and it clear to us that NATO’s material losses are very large. These have cost NATO huge sums of money, inflicting upon it losses amounting to 299 billion dollars. There is also the 6.7 billion dollars to finance Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles which become easy targets for the Mujahedeen as soon as they enter Iraq and Afghanistan.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most important factor in the weakness of the American budget and the collapse of the American economy. Indeed this war has become a burden upon the people of every nation participating in the crusader war against the Muslim countries.

Therefore those infidels must know that those whom they fight are people of faith, and people of truth, who will not abandon their religion no matter what sacrifices are required, and that their forces and their weapons will not frighten the Mujahideen.

The Almighty said: “Men said to them: “A great army is gathering against you”: and frightened them: but it only increased their Faith: they said: For us Allah sufficeth and He is the best disposer of affairs.” (Al-Imran: 123)

The weapon faith is the strongest of weapons, and we believe with a decisive faith unpolluted by any doubt that the victory of Allah is near. For has promised his faithful servants help and strength. The Almighty said: “Allah made it but a message of hope, and an assurance to your hearts: there is not help except from Allah, and Allah is exalted in power, and wise.” (Al-Anfal: 10)

And the Almighty said, “We did indeed send, before thee, apostles to their peoples, and them came to them with clear signs: then to those who transgressed, we meted out retribution: and it was due to us to aid those who believed.” (Rum: 47)

And the Almighty said, “And another (favor will he bestow), which ye do love, help from Allah and a speedy victory. So give the glad tidings to the Believers.” ( Al-Saff: 13)

And the Most High and Worshipful said: “How oft, by Allah’s will, hath a small force vanquished a large one? Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere.” (Al-Baqarah: 249)

And the Most High and Worshipful said: “To those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight, because they are wronged; and verily, Allah is Most Powerful for their aid.” (Al-Hajj: 39)

And the most High and Worshipful said, “Allah will certainly aid those who aid His Cause; For verily Allah is Full of Strength and Exalted in Might. They are those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end and decision of all affairs.” (Al-Hajj: 40-41)

And the Almighty said, “Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance, as He granted to those before them; and that He will establish in authority their religion – the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will their state, after the fear in which they lived, to one of security and peace: ‘They will worship Me alone and not associate aught with Me.’” (Al-Nur: 55)

And the Almighty said, “But if ye are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you; for compasseth round about all that they do.” (Al-i-Imran: 120)

And the Most High and Worshipful said, “Remember ye implored the assistance of your Lord, and He answered you: ‘I will assist you with a thousand of the angels, ranks on ranks’. Allah made it but a message of hope, and an assurance to your hearts: there is no help except from Allah, and Allah is exalted in Power, Wise.” (Al-Anfal: 9-10)

After these Words, will we fear when the Lord of the Faithful is with us? How can you rule?

We beseech the Almighty, Most Capable, to aid the Mujahideen, and establish them and to subdue their enemies among the infidels and apostates. Blessings and peace be upon our Sayyed and Leader, or Teacher and our Example, Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, who revealed to our Ummah the truth and warned it against transgression, vanity and error, and upon his family and his Companions.

Source: Al-Somood Magazine, Issue 45, February 2010