Leader: Panther's Claw 'Victory' Must Be a Lasting and Meaningful One
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Summary
OPERATION Panther's Claw in Afghanistan is over. Has it succeeded and at what cost? When British troops entered Helmand in 2006 their aim was to seize the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, clear it of Taleban, then hold it so reconstruction could begin. Thereafter the plan was to follow an "ink-spot" approach: seizing, clearing and holding adjacent territories, thus gradually extending the Taleban- free zone. But this approach failed.
First, no sooner had the British arrived than a Taleban rising began throughout Helmand. Unwisely, the British abandoned their ink- spot expansion plan and tried to fight the Taleban everywhere. Lacking sufficient manpower or helicopters, this scattering of British forces proved a disaster. We withdrew from the Taleban stronghold of Musa Qala, handing the insurgents a propaganda victory.See the full content of this document
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Leader: Panther's Claw 'Victory' Must Be a Lasting and Meaningful One
During the past three years, British troops in Helmand have been too over-stretched to secure the area from the Taleban, who have returned in force.
Operation Panther's Claw represents a return to the original ink- spot strategy. With a US Marine...See the full content of this document
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