
Afghan Border Police in Spin Boldak. Photo by Matthieu Aikins.
There has been some very positive news coming out of Kandahar province lately, as the New York Times' Carlotta Gall has reported. According to ISAF and Afghan government officials, the Taliban have been "routed" from the province by a massive military offensive, partly with the help of a miraculous rocket launcher, the HIMARS system, which, though not exactly "new" as claimed in the Times piece, certainly sounds impressive. The news is all the more remarkable in that it closely follows the timetable that was laid down by military officials throughout the summer.
Photo by Matthieu Aikins