Special Forces soldiers have been able to inflict significant damage to the Taliban's leadership, forcing them to resort to terrorist-style attacks, a Special Forces commander with two combat tours in Afghanistan said Wednesday. Col. Christopher K. Haas, who turns over command of the Fort Bragg-based 3rd Special Forces Group Thursday, said in the past two years Special Forces soldiers have killed several key senior and midlevel leaders. They include Mullah Dadullah, who commanded Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan and was killed in a May 2007 raid by NATO and Afghan forces in Helmand Province. "The Taliban continue to rely on these spectacular attacks which are high visibility and attempt to attract media attention to the fact that the insurgency can still operate inside Afghanistan on a limited basis," Haas said. Monday's suicide bombing at the Indian embassy in Kabul that killed 41 people was the deadliest attack in the capital since 2001. But Haas said the Taliban is not experiencing similar success in the villages and at the provincial level where Special Forces soldiers routinely operate. "The paramilitary arm of this organization is losing ground and has suffered tactical defeat after tactical defeat," Haas said. "Media images of 15 or 20 insurgents operating in Afghanistan does not represent an effective force against Special Forces soldiers or our NATO allies. "Unfortunately, such portrayals are routinely misinterprete ...
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