ROME: There are several points of similarity between the war in Afghanistan and the war in Vietnam. The Taliban, like the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong, proved to be formidable tacticians and fighters. They managed to contain a far better equipped opponent and mount effective counter-offensives; access sufficient domestic and foreign funding to pay their fighters and support their families; build a formidable intelligence network; and acquire necessary technical capabilities in areas such as repair and maintenance of small arms.
Both the Vietnamese and the Taliban were experts in the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In Vietnam an estimated 10 percent of US army deaths and almost 20 percent of injuries were due to booby traps and land mines. In comparison, in Afghanistan nearly half of deaths were due to IEDs. An officer who served in a bomb disposal unit in Afghanistan told me about how the Taliban were as skilled as most conventional armies in handling explosives. According to this person, apparently one of the Taliban's most skilled operatives was a lady whose work was recognizable for the sophistication of the associated electronics.
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