Most peculiar, witnesses report the Taleban now using choppers.

[JohnyCanuck]

Helicopter Rumour Refuses to Die
Many Afghans believe foreign forces providing support for insurgents in the north.
By Ahmad Kawoosh - Afghanistan
ARR Issue 343,
2 Nov 09

Persistent accounts of western forces in Afghanistan using their helicopters to ferry Taleban fighters, strongly denied by the military, is feeding mistrust of the forces that are supposed to be bringing order to the country.

One such tale came from a soldier from the 209th Shahin Corps of the Afghan National Army, fighting against the growing insurgency in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan. Over several months, he had taken part in several pitched battles against the armed opposition.

“Just when the police and army managed to surround the Taleban in a village of Qala-e-Zaal district, we saw helicopters land with support teams,” he said. “They managed to rescue their friends from our encirclement, and even to inflict defeat on the Afghan National Army.”

This story, in one form or another, is being repeated throughout northern Afghanistan. Dozens of people claim to have seen Taleban fighters disembark from foreign helicopters in several provinces. The local talk is of the insurgency being consciously moved north, with international troops ferrying fighters in from the volatile south, to create mayhem in a new location.

snip

Commander Amir Gul district governor of Baghlan-e-Markazi insisted that the Taleban fighters had been delivered by helicopter.

“I do not know to which country the helicopters belonged,” he told IWPR. “But these are the same helicopters that are taking the Taleban from Helmand to Kandahar and from there to the north, especially to Baghlan.”

According to Amir Gul, the district department of the National Security Directorate had identified the choppers, but it refused to comment.

Baghlan police chief Mohammad Kabir Andarabi said that his department had reported to the central government that foreign helicopters were transporting the Taleban into Baghlan.

http://iwpr.net/report-news/helicopter-rumour-refuses-die

[Toots]

1. This may be something entirely different but when I was in Vietnam

We worked with , what we called "road runners". They were North Vietnamese Soldiers that had surrendered to the US but still wore their NVA uniforms and went out in the field to gather intelligence for us. They were basically spies for us although they continued to look and act as NVA soldiers..They went out in five man teams and when we had to pick them up it was always very tricky because they would be in heavy enemy territory looking like enemy soldiers..What is happening in Afghanistan may be something completely differnt though. :shrug:

[FSogol]

2. They're using customized motorcycles?

Nevermind....

[HereSince1628]

3. GOP has been calling the Taliban Hell's Angels

for years.