The capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar at the same time as NATO launches its offensive in Helmut province is too much of a coincidence to not draw the line between some very big dots.
Baradar is the operation head of the Taliban and he is captured on the eve of the largest offensive in Afghanistan since 2001.
Nato is currently conducting a large offensive centered on Marjah, the largest city controlled by the Taliban with about 75,000 residents.
The strategy for this campaign originated with the Afghan Army and amounts to 'drawing a line in the sand' with NATO/Afghan announcing the campaign ahead of time and communicating details to the population before starting the offensive.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704431404575066953058959716.html?mod=WSJ-hpp-MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThirdThe approach stands in stark contrast to the straightforward search-and-destroy mission that the war in Afghanistan often resembled in the past nine years. Instead of simply clearing out the Taliban and leaving, in Marjah and future operations, coalition forces are to stay in place and give Afghan authorities time to reassert their control.
One of the most publicized initiatives to win over the local population has been the convening of a "shura"—a traditional Afghan council—of Marjah tribal elders since just before the shooting began.
That effort appeared to be yielding a return Monday when 10 men offered up by the shura began working as guides to help allied forces find bombs planted by the insurgents and to find Taliban fighters who have melted back into the population.
The insurgents appeared to be trying to take advantage of the allied rules of engagement. On Monday, Marines spotted 10 or so fighters approaching the Pork Chop area, with women and children carrying their weapons in bundles.
"They have weapons caches in mosques," said Lt. Greenlief.
The Marines requested an airstrike to hit them after the women and children had left. They were first denied permission by their commanders because of the Taliban fighters' proximity to structures that might contain civilians. When the Marines did get permission, the first attack plane malfunctioned and had to call off the strike.
Finally, the Marines sent out a unit to try to ambush the insurgents as they moved. The tactic forced the fighters into the open, and a Marine jet strafed them, apparently killing nine.
You have to believe that the allies didn't just fall over Baradar but have had him under suvelliance and wanted to take him out when his absence would cause the greatest disruption, right before a major offensive.
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