foothold in the region. German bases have received rocket fire and their patrols have been attacked by suicide bombers. To date, 35 German soldiers have been killed. Because of this, German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung has asserted that the German contingent must begin actively fighting the Taliban. One of the soldiers' representatives in parliament demanded that the government acknowledge that their soldiers are at war.
If Germany were to begin offensive operations, it would considerably improve the ISAF position and security in northeast Afghanistan. Without them, the Taliban will continue to improve their base of power in the area and strengthen its position in the local society [62].
Just prior to the elections, the Germans carried out an offensive mission in Qunduz with several hundred soldiers and armoured vehicles. This was to counter the excessive Taliban activity and was the first offensive operation since 2001, when they participated in the invasion. This action hopefully will be only the beginning of a serious German approach to their NATO and ISAF duties and fighting alongside other allied nations.
In June, the British contingent launched «Operation Panther's Claw» in Helmand province. Initially, there were a dozen casualties in the first two weeks, but the operation successfully seized several administrative districts and cleared them of the Taliban. Among the British casualties was Lt. Col. Rupert Thorneloe, the highest-ranking British officer to be killed in combat since the Falklands in 1982. Eventually, the Taliban quit resisting, in order to regroup and prepare for additional attacks [63].
Assisting the British in southern Helmand province were 8,500 US Marines. An operation in July in the Helmand river valley codenamed «Operation Khanjar» or «Sword Strike» involved 4,000 US forces and 650 Afghan soldiers and police. Helmand province's fertile lands support the majority of the poppy cultivation and drug production. The Marine Expeditionary Force commander, Gen. Larry Nicholson remarked that this operation is one of the largest ISAF operations to date. The goal of this strike in the heart of the Taliban's territory was to demonstrate the power of ISAF prior to the elections [64].
An interview with Mahmud Husamuddin Al- Gailani, a member of the Afghan Parliament from Ghazni, sheds new light on the situation in the country. He states that while international powers train the soldiers and police, they don't train the clerks, judges, engineers, teachers, and doctors who will be the ones to build a stable country. This may seem like groundless pretension, since the security of the state must be established before any other structures are improved. He also believes that the west should support Afghanistan and its future and not President Karzai. He states that President Karzai should be held accountable for all the money spent and be placed on a quarterly audit schedule as Pakistan is. If the money is not spent in a responsible manner, there should be no more. He predicts that the American plan from Iraq to utilize tribal structures will not work. After 30 years of war, the Afghan society is broken. If the coalition leaves Afghanistan quickly, the Taliban will return to authority again and become a base for the enemies of the west [65].
Meanwhile, Gen. McChrystal has stated the that Taliban possesses superiority over coalition forces. Due to the lack of troops, the Taliban was able to spread throughout the country. This will require a change in tactics and movement of troops towards the larger cities due to the Taliban threat in cities like Kandahar. Based on rocket attacks from Herat in the west and the increasing suicide attacks, the US needs to increase its troop levels. According to Anthony Cordesman from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, and an advisor to Gen. McChrystal, the Taliban now influences 153 of the 364 administrative districts (excluding major urban areas) [66].
Gen. McChrystal intends to change the mindset of the military concerning operations in Afghanistan. He states that the security of the population is the highest priority. Secretary Gates added that the situation is serious, but does not want to make the error of committing too many forces, as the Soviet Union did in the 1980s. Important to the effort are the civil advisors. Gen. McChrystal called for a new and better strategy for the US and NATO forces to defeat the Taliban [67].
The national elections went as scheduled on 20 August, despite the Taliban's attacks on both polling stations and ballot transportation. In some regions, there was significant voter intimidation. It is estimated that turnout was only about 40%, compared to 70% in the 2004 election. Despite a lower turnout, the elections were still successful. President Obama pointed out that the rebels had murdered innocent Muslims in order to reach their political
