New interview from the Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan: "The Untold Reality Of Kandahar Operation (Part 2)"

NOTE: This interview is from the Afghan Ṭālibān and unedited below. To see the first part click here.
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Zul Qadah 21, 1431 A.H, Saturday, October 30, 2010
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Zhiri district is located to the south of Kandahar-Herat main highway and has been a solid base and under the control of Islamic Emirate Mujahideen for the past 9 years. Previously the invaders only had outposts on the main highway but due to the recent operations have expanded those to Pashmool and Sanzari areas. For recent information on the situation in the district, Alemarah interviewed the Military commander for this district, Mullah Ateequllah Agha.
Alemarah: Can you please give us information about the recent enemy operation and on the situation in the district?
Mullah Ateequllah Agha: As you might already know that Zhiri is known as the most hostile district for the enemy for the past 9 years and especially Sang-e-Sar and Pashmool areas where the enemy has not been able to take over and has proved very deadly for its forces. The southern parts of the districts have been completely under our control which the enemy has never even attempted to enter.
The enemy was real frustrated due to the constant attacks by Mujahideen on the main highway which immensely disrupted the movement of their military and logistical convoys and therefore started the huge push towards Sang-e-Sar, Pashmool and Sanzari areas by bringing hundreds of tanks, foot soldiers bombing the areas by Jets, cruise missiles etc. Due to their cruel and barbaric blind bombings, the residents of Pashmool and Sanzari have fled during a time when they were supposed to collect their harvests. Mujahideen countered their strategy by adopting guerilla warfare from which the enemy has suffered more damage than at any other time. You might have heard through the media of the tanks being blown up every day in Pashmool and Sanzari areas and the retaliatory ambushes and attacks against their foot patrols. Similarly the invaders arrested civilians after forcing their way into their homes at night.
So due to our resistance, the enemy has not gained any ground in some parts and in others where they have gains some ground, it has come after much suffering and deadly losses. Overall the enemy’s force is winded up, they have only added 2 outposts each in Pashmool and Sanzari areas and the Mujahideen numbers which were decreased for the initial enemy push have returned back to their normal levels.
Alemarah: How much new ground has the enemy gained from this operation?
Mullah Ateequllah Agha: The enemy has not gained an inch of territory in Sang-e-Sar, which is only 100 meters away from the main highway. They have gained some ground in Sanzari but after intense bombing and making headway by demolishing people’s homes, fields and other property. They also made ground towards the south of Pashmool up to Rod area but in all areas the advance has been short term because they have all returned to the 4 new outposts made in civilians homes and all their military equipment has also been vacated from the rest of the regions.
Alemarah: It is said that the enemy has severely bombed the areas bringing huge destruction to the civilians?
Mullah Ateequllah Agha: Like in the rest of Kandahar province, Zhiri has also experienced enormous destruction to civilian property from the barbaric enemy. Although the exact facts and figures have not been compiled but I will summarize some of the damage done that we have witnessed in a few points.
1. Nearly 80% of civilians have become homeless due to the ruthless bombings from cruise missiles, canon rounds and other types of bombs dropped in all of Zhiri from Kandahar airfield. The civilians have also suffered deaths and nearly all of the people’s homes and other property have been completely destroyed.
2. Hundreds of homes have been utterly demolished in the area between the main highway and Wyala of Sang-e-Sar as the enemy claims that their convoys and bases are always attacked from this area.
3. The barbaric enemy has filled streams with dirt, demolished homes and blown apart all the greenery in Pashmool, Sanzari, Syachowi and also the other areas to make new roads due to the other roads being completely mined.
4. In all these areas, the enemy has destroyed homes with all its belongings inside. The homes were either already abandoned and if they weren’t, they would force its owners to leave by bulldozing the property’s walls.
5. The enemy has dropped types of bombs which have created massive craters and which have also burnt people’s fields and plants so to make an alternative way to enter due to fear of mines being placed on the main roads.
6. In this process, the enemy has Martyred, wounded and imprisoned countless civilians but we don’t have their exact figures.
Alemarah: The enemy claims to have caused Mujahideen many casualties, killed their leaders and also broken their hold on the district?
Mullah Ateequllah Agha: So far 10 Mujahideen have been Martyred which includes a group’s leader and he was not Martyred in Zhiri but rather in Reag district by a night raid. In contrast, the enemy has suffered immense casualties as you might also have heard from the media.
Alemarah: How do you see the result of the current situation and the operations result?
Mullah Ateequllah Agha: The current situation does not differ a lot from the situation before the operation began. Our groups in Pashmool and Sanzari have become active like before and like before, the enemy is always attacked as they come out of their newly built outposts in these areas and also the ones built on the main highway. The only result coming out of the operation is the death and destruction caused to the civilians which deplorably, the foreign and domestic media have been silent about.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan