I doubt that "mediaeval peasants" could quite so effectively cause coalition forces their current Protected Mobility concerns without the serious assistance of one or more state actors in the region, notional allies amongst them
The wider issue, as has been stated elsewhere, is avoiding the trap of shaping our forces for the next 20+ years based on the idea that Afghanistan is "the War" rather than "a war". Single service bickering and positioning must be pushed to the background in order to do what is right for the country rather than the current distateful jockeying for advantage.
I will be as interested as the next man as to what is announced on 20 Oct but having seen the lack of quality of many of those set above us I fully expect to be disappointed for myself, my service and most importantly for my country.
MB