Body Counts Are Back

The Obama administration has allowed U.S. forces in Afghanistan to begin reporting enemy body counts -- something the Bush administration went back and forth on -- as U.S. forces ramp up in the south of the country. On the one hand, the Bush administration got raked over the coals by the left when it began reporting body counts. It was seen as evidence of desperation by Democrats, and the numbers were used by the military and the administration as proof of progress. And both sides were probably right, enemy body counts are a way to convey a sense of progress when there is little other encouraging news. So it will be interesting to see if the left is still bothered by body counts, but most Americans will be pleased to know that it's not just our troops that are getting killed, even if statements like this give little context as to what these strikes mean to the overall war effort:

Coalition forces used a precision air strike in Ghowr Province yesterday to target local warlord and Taliban commander Mullah Mustafa, who was responsible for attacks along the main highway in the border areas of Ghowr and Herat Provinces.

When intelligence sources recently confirmed Mustafa's location in a remote, mountainous area of Shahrak District, Ghowr Province, forces began planning an operation to remove him. Coalition forces observed armed sentries outside his compound, indicating the militant was concerned for his own safety. Reports indicated he had recently acquired six remotely controlled improvised explosive devices, distributing them to subordinates for use against the coalition.

Yesterday, coalition forces observed Mustafa moving by vehicle from the compound. When he stopped in a remote area, he was joined by multiple militants. Determining no civilians would be endangered; forces used precision aerial munitions to strike the group, killing Mustafa and as many as 16 other associated militants. The commander of approximately 100 fighters in western Afghanistan, Mustafa had recently met with senior Taliban leaders, and reportedly had connections to Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force.

That last line is a nice reminder that while Obama reaches out to Iran with letters and speeches and grand gestures, the Iranian military continues to advise and supply those who seek to kill U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.