Dutch and Afghan troops have fought hard this past week with large numbers of Taliban fighters. The fight was an important opium route in the Chora district in the Afghan province of Uruzgan. That is what the commander of the Dutch troops declared in Chora. According to the commander, the blazing violence is the result of the poppy harvest that takes place during this period. “The Chora district has an important connection route that the Taliban uses for the transport of opium. They use the proceeds of the opium for the purchase of weapons “. According to the commander, there is no relationship with the destruction of the poppy fields by the Afghan government earlier this week. After three days of heavy skirmishes, the situation is now somewhat quieter. “There has been a pretty fierce battle in which we have fought hard together with the Afghan security forces. It is a little quieter now, but the situation remains fragile “, according to the Dutch commander. The fighting started a week ago when Taliban fighters conquered an Afghan police station. A Dutch unit that happened to be in the neighborhood, helped the Afghan troops. After the police station was knocked out by a combat vehicle, the battle moved to the surrounding areas, a defense spokesman indicates. “Large numbers of Taliban troops gathered around Chora. The Netherlands then sent a “substantial number of troops” because the Chora district is an important area, both militarily and psychologically. The fall of Chora would have led to the Taliban going to the south via the Baluchi valley. That would have put tremendous pressure on Tarin Kowt, “said the spokesperson.
Both on the Taliban side and on the side of the Afghan security forces, an unknown number of fatalities fell. There were no victims on the Dutch side.
(may 2007)