GIs Hunt Taliban Ahead of Afghan Elections

By: Mandy Clark
Topics: Afghanistan

CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark is embedded with U.S. soldiers trying to secure eastern Afghanistan ahead of next month's presidential elections.

Filed at 4:50 a.m. Eastern.

Operation Champion Sword is a pre-election surge of U.S. and Afghan forces in the country's volatile eastern border region. The goal is to disrupt insurgents planning attacks during the elections scheduled for August 20.

(AP Photo/Ahmad Masoud)

At left: Election workers carry ballot boxes to load onto trucks for transport to polling stations throughout the country, July 28, 2009, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

It's all happening around Khowst, one of Afghanistan's biggest cities along the border with Pakistan and a key target for suicide attacks by Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants.

The daily operations consist of precisely targeted, in-and-out missions by small groups of soldiers. The targets are pinpointed by intelligence agencies and can include militant safe-havens, weapons caches or bomb-making facilities.

This afternoon, aircraft will drop a platoon of about 60 lightly-armed soldiers within 50 to 100 yards of their intended target. Like most of these missions, it's all meant to be over in just a few hours.

Champion Sword is being run by Task Force Yukon, 2nd battalion, 377th parachute field artillery regiment.

As they continue their work to protect Afghanistan's budding democracy, many minds among the 3,000-soldier-strong Task Force Yukon will be preoccupied with Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, a colleague kidnapped several weeks ago by the Taliban.

Thus far, the operation has been effective, with no American causalities, two suspected Taliban militants arrested and a cache of weapons uncovered.

But this is only the beginning. Missions like today's are planned right up until just days before the elections.

Note: Clark will file an update to this story upon returning from today's mission on the outskirts of Khowst with the platoon. Please check back later for the latest on Operation Champion Sword.

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by failout July 29, 2009 2:45 PM EDT: Obama's religion is muslim. I'm sure he played with osama as a kid :) haha just kidding. How about setting up NUKES all over the middle east and kill all the MF'ers over there to stop all the killing of their own people as well as our troops and innocent american people (World Trade Center). Just because we live in a better environment doesn't mean you go kill people because there rich and your poor. Money only matters to an extent but life is PRICELESS!!! So *** these idiots go on suicide missions so there family gets paid because they can't afford food to eat. Lets be serious here get rid of that part of the continent and we will be fine. Plus we wont lose any more troops. :); Reply to this comment


by chrisrushlau July 29, 2009 12:16 PM EDT: We used to hunt game down here in Manhattan when we were securing the Upper Lower West Bowery Side from game. I don't mean we were afraid of game. We were just securing it in general, as a matter of principle. You know, you see a place full of game, and you say to yourself, "Why don't we secure that place?"
GIs Hunt Taliban Ahead of Afghan Elections CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark is embedded with U.S. soldiers trying to secure eastern Afghanistan ahead of next month's presidential elections. (Should that read "impacted"?); Reply to this comment


by Joe_NY_15 July 29, 2009 10:56 AM EDT: Where is Bin Laden ?? is there some reason Obama has not found him.....he was SOOOOOOO confident if he got elected that he would make it his 'top' priority to find Bin Laden.....well ?? since it was SOOOOO easy and you libs couldn't stop asking "where's bin laden", why hasn't the community organizer located the man ?

of course I'm being sarcastic, since locating a fugative in the Hindu-Kush mountain range is extremely difficult.....but hey, if the Libs can ask, why can't we....they were so sure that bush too his eye off the ball, now that the ball player is Obama, still nothing ?; Reply to this comment


by didserve July 29, 2009 10:48 AM EDT: How about finding Bin Laden and getting our troops outta that rock hole!; Reply to this comment


by hagar39 July 29, 2009 8:39 AM EDT: Thank God all of our troops are volunteers. When troops invade a nation they are fighting for a monthly pay check.
The other side are defending their country, homes, family, flag, hertiage, religion, resources etc.
Guess who usually wins? Remember Vietnam?; Reply to this comment


by Benton09 July 29, 2009 8:33 AM EDT: 'Budding Poppy Field Democracy' is what they're protecting.; Reply to this comment


by sean55z July 29, 2009 6:38 AM EDT: How many children murdered or sexually-raped by Rebels? Felons steal crops from Farmers to make heroin and hashish for narcotics sales. They become euphoric from drugs and violent attacks on innocent victims. Kabul should use the technical and tactical advantage. NATO will never be an effective force there. They should send in Afghani Troops with sophisticated weapons. Science will win this war against mindless, heinous Thugs.; Reply to this comment

by wyodutch July 29, 2009 6:31 AM EDT

So... Now our crusade in Afghanistan has morphed into "...to protect Afghanistan's budding democracy". That's certainly worth carving into the tombstones at Arlington... "Here Lies Private Jones. Age 19 years. He Protected Afghanistan's Budding Democracy".
.
So long as the average American has nothing at risk... These wars of choice will grind on and on. But... Slap a 10% war tax and fire-up the draft again and there'll be a stampede for the exit strategy.
.
Meanwhile, the recruiting ads will continue to target America's dead-end kids and promise to make 'em "Army Strong". Yeah... right.

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by didserve July 29, 2009 10:49 AM EDT: good post! how about making women register for the draft too!


by Joe_NY_15 July 29, 2009 10:58 AM EDT: I thought the libs elected Obama to dis-continue the "war of choice" ? I guess he played them for fools, pretending to be anti-war, and then pour more troops into the remote region, like a warmonger