AHMAD MASSOUD’S MILITARY STRATEGY & TALIBAN’S HYBDRID WARFARE

Ahmad Massoud is surrounded by the same military geniuses & pursuing the same military strategy that drowned Ashraf Ghani & his government. Defense is never a military strategy. The best defense is offense. Taliban have always had a military strategy at hand and have constantly refined their tactics - the big question is where is Ahmad’s counter offensive and military strategy. While Panjshir has natural defenses but it has to be complemented by more than just natural fences. If you don’t expand the military geography and mil ops behind enemy lines and create several islands of resistance across Afghanistan  (to take off pressure on Panjshir) then it is just a matter of time before Taliban over run Panjshir because then you are a sitting duck. 

Tonight’s events showed that the Taliban are engaging in a full scale Hybrid Warfare military strategy i.e. combining regular military forces with psyops, economic and humanitarian embargo, cutting the supply and power lines, political and diplomatic reach out, instigating local unrest inside Panjshir, information warfare and engagement of Taliban special ops ie red units in the war. Taliban used the same military strategy and tactics with ANDSF to break their morale and infiltrate through exploiting the big legitimacy gap in the previous govt.

Today they are using the same strategy and tactics. The big question is how to counter it. Here are a few counter offensive military strategy ideas:

1. Military Ink Strategy - stir pockets of unrest and targeted attacks on centers of gravity and chains of commands of the Taliban across northern Afghanistan.

2. Poisonous Valley - this is inspired by Singapore’s “poison shrimp” military strategy whereas even if you are small in terms of geography and resources but you can be deadly & inflict lots of damage to any bigger opponent. Tactics can always be discussed. 

3. Resistance Mushroom Strategy - create several panjshirs across Afghanistan, i.e, pockets of resistance initially in northern Afghanistan through bringing back Atta, Mohaqiq, Dostum et al.

4. Slice cut military strategy - cut Taliban supply lines and attack them from behind enemy lines. The details can always be discussed. But the current course of military action is doomed to end up in a Taliban over run. Please revisit your strategy and tactics.