The Shadows were watching TV at late chow (2330 Pakitime) and I was curious to see what they were watching (they *love* "Indian Idol"). Considering all the action up north, I wasn't really surprised to see it was the news. I haven't mastered Urdu by a long shot, but the broadcaster was speaking Hindustani, which uses quite a few words from both English and Urdu, so I was able to get the gist of it.
There was a big dustup in southern Afghanistan earlier. No word on coalition casualties yet, but at least a hundred Taliban KIA. Right across the border from where the Frontier Forces were firing H&Is the other night.
The strategy of find 'em, flush 'em and fight 'em seems to be working so far.
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In other news, all nineteen kidnapped troops (fifteen local militia and a Frontier Forces colonel and his traveling party) were due to be released yesterday afternoon (today's early morning for everybody except Murray, Trias and OFS) -- no official word on their release yet. The Mehuda tribal council is still speaking softly, but the pro-Taliban militants in their area can definitely see the big stick that's only a cellphone call up the road -- about 40,000 Army and Frontier Force troops.
