Taliban Routinely Put Civilians at Risk

Successful capture in Pakistan of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's operational commander. More on the Afghan battle to take back Marjah in the most peaceful manner, as, in a new approach to win hearts and minds, the U.S. and Afghan forces were upfront about coming back, encouraging civilians to leave and the Taliban to lay down their arms. (Those who aren't raping and murdering young girls.) Taliban booby traps everywhere, sporadic fire with NATO response, sadly some civilian casualties:

The deaths—in three separate incidents—come after two errant U.S. missiles struck a house on the outskirts of Marjah on Sunday, killing 12 people, half of them children. Afghan officials said three Taliban fighters were in the house at the time of the attack.

About 15,000 NATO and Afghan troops are taking part in the massive offensive around Marjah—the linchpin of the Taliban logistical and opium poppy smuggling network.

And a U.S. Marine Walks Away from Head Shot in Afghanistan. Mary Katharine Ham, TWS.

More on the capture. NY Times:

Mr. Riedel, the former C.I.A. official, said that he had not heard about Mullah Baradar’s capture before being contacted by The Times, but that the raid constituted a “sea change in Pakistani behavior.”

In recent weeks, American officials have said they have seen indications that the Pakistani military and spy services may finally have begun to distance themselves from the Taliban. One Obama administration official said Monday that the White House had “no reason to think that anybody was double-dealing at all” in aiding in the capture of Mullah Baradar. [snip]

In November 2001, as Taliban forces collapsed after the American invasion, Mullah Baradar and several other senior Taliban leaders were captured by Afghan militia fighters aligned with the United States. But Pakistani intelligence operatives intervened, and Mullah Baradar and the other Taliban leaders were released, according to a senior official of the Northern Alliance, the group of Afghans aligned with the United States.

And in another change, the NY Times keeps its mouth shut rather than jeopardize lives and intel. Double dealing? You be the judge. But let's be thankful they did the right thing, for once.

More. The new rules of engagement. Pros and cons. Taliban taking advantage of our good nature, but maybe we can turn the tables on them. Hopefully without more loss of life on our side.