NYT: Taliban open new front and almost took Kunduz

The Taliban almost took Kunduz, a trans-shipment point of American military supplies via Russia.

The correspondent of the New York Times C. Gall said in his report from Kunduz about opening a second front in the north by the Taliban, particularly in Kunduz Province (map).

The newspaper wrote:

"Afghan (puppet) officials cut the police force in Kunduz by a third two years ago and again earlier this year. Security was left to a few thousand German peacekeepers. Only one Afghan logistics battalion of Afghan (puppet) army was stationed in the province.

But over the last two years the Taliban have steadily staged a resurgence in Kunduz. In November, residents listened to air raids by NATO forces for five consecutive nights, the first heavy fighting since the beginning of war eight years ago.

Kunduz became a battlefield with the opening of a new logistics route here for NATO supplies from Russia and Central Asia, over an American-financed "bridge" that opened in 2007. The route is supposed to serve as a strategic alternative to the treacherous passage through Pakistan, which is regularly attacked by Taliban insurgents.

The Taliban have re-emerged in Kunduz with such force that during the "presidential election" in August, (Karzai's) police officers were fending off attacks on the outskirts of the city of Kunduz, and insurgents were poised to overrun the center, officials said.

"The Taliban were at the door of the city; the people thought the (Karzai) government was at an end," said a senior security (Karzai) official, who asked not to be named because of the nature of his work.

A district like Khanabad, with a population of 350,000, has just 80 police officers now, the (puppet) governor of Kunduz, Muhammad Omar, said in an interview. In the district of Chahardara, where hundreds of insurgents are at large, there are only 56 police officers, enough only to guard the district center and the main road.

"It deteriorated suddenly," the (puppet) governor said.

Whether it is the influence of foreign fighters, or the growing capability of the Taliban and another regional insurgent group, Hezb-e-Islami, Western officials say the insurgency in Kunduz has grown more sophisticated, mounting coordinated Martyr car bombings and ambushes.

"Clearly this year we have seen much better fighters, capable of complex attacks," said one Western official.

Local residents recall the times of independence:

"The Taliban were behaving very well with the people. They stopped thieves, and brought law and order to the area", one family in Kunduz said, asking not to be named", the American newspaper wrote.

We would like to note that the information of American newspaper means that Americans across the territory of Russia by land way, by motor way and by railways of Russia, carrying a huge quantity of military equipment and weapons.

The Cheka junta in Moscow is still claiming that supplements are delivered exclusively by aerial way.  However, for counteraction to aerial supplements the Taliban have nothing to do in Kunduz. Flying through the territory of Russia American military planes can land at any other place in Afghanistan.

We would like to indicate from our part that according to latest information from Kunduz the Taliban blew up a cellular communication tower. Earlier, the Taliban warned that any cooperation with the occupiers would be severely punished.

The source has also reported that Taliban captured 15 trophy American-made pickups over the past few days in the area of Kunduz, which were used Karzaivans.