Monday - February 15, 2010

Death by PC

Troops: Strict war rules slow Afghan offensive

MARJAH, Afghanistan – Some American and Afghan troops say they’re fighting the latest offensive in Afghanistan with a handicap — strict rules that routinely force them to hold their fire.

Although details of the new guidelines are classified to keep insurgents from reading them, U.S. troops say the Taliban are keenly aware of the restrictions.

“I understand the reason behind it, but it’s so hard to fight a war like this,” said Lance Cpl. Travis Anderson, 20, of Altoona, Iowa. “They’re using our rules of engagement against us,” he said, adding that his platoon had repeatedly seen men drop their guns into ditches and walk away to blend in with civilians.

If a man emerges from a Taliban hideout after shooting erupts, U.S. troops say they cannot fire at him if he is not seen carrying a weapon — or if they did not personally watch him drop one.

What this means, some contend, is that a militant can fire at them, then set aside his weapon and walk freely out of a compound, possibly toward a weapons cache in another location. It was unclear how often this has happened. In another example, Marines pinned down by a barrage of insurgent bullets say they can’t count on quick air support because it takes time to positively identify shooters.

“This is difficult,” Lance Cpl. Michael Andrejczuk, 20, of Knoxville, Tenn., said Monday. “We are trained like when we see something, we obliterate it. But here, we have to see them and when we do, they don’t have guns.”

In the microsecond that troops have to make decisions in a firefight, the top brass now wants them to stop and consider this entire list:

• Even if someone has shot in my general direction, am I still in danger?

• Will I make more enemies than I’ll kill by destroying property, or harming innocent civilians?

• What are my other options to resolve this without escalating the violence?

“The aim of the operation is not to kill militants,” he said. “The aim is to protect civilians and bring in development.”

I’m tired of our spineless government wasting our blood and treasure to fight the most minimal possible conflict. Fuck that. Blow the living shit out of everything and anything until there are no more enemies. Then come home. If this is how this “necessary war” is to be fought, tuck in your ties and bring our guys home. The 5000 years it will take to achieve any semblance of victory this way is not worth the price we will be forced to pay. Somebody has sold our side out. And that somebody is probably also a radical leftist.

So it’s no surprise at all what’s happening. The surge there has been brought to it’s knees, and our troops can’t have confidence that the enemy isn’t running around behind them.

MARJAH, Afghanistan – Taliban fighters stepped up counterattacks Monday against Marines and Afghan soldiers in the militant stronghold of Marjah, slowing the allied advance to a crawl despite Afghan government claims that the insurgents are broken and on the run.

Taliban fighters appeared to be slipping under cover of darkness into compounds already deemed free of weapons and explosives, then opening fire on the Marines from behind U.S. lines.

Troops complained that strict rules to protect civilians made it difficult to use enough firepower to stop the attacks.

“I understand the reason behind it, but it’s so hard to fight a war like this,” said Lance Corp. Travis Anderson, 20, from Altoona, Iowa. “They’re using our rules of engagement against us,” he said, adding that his platoon had repeatedly seen men dropping their guns into ditches before walking away to melt among civilians.

The absolutely worst approach to asymmetrical warfare is to treat each non-uniformed individual as a civilian until they are within your sight with a weapon and actively shooting in your direction. No. Anyone and everyone is assumed your enemy until they have proven otherwise multiple time. And don’t really trust them then. Bribe the locals with food and blankets to rat out the Talis. Draw a line in the sand, so to speak, and let the locals know that the area on this side is under our protection. And that severe consequences will attend anyone who is, or shelters, a Tali fighter. Doing anything other is just setting yourself up for failure.

Afghanistan is another shit hole like Somalia. The world would not give one small fart if the entire population disappeared tomorrow. You can not civilize or modernize the people living in either area. At best you can buy them off temporarily. So stop wasting lives, time, and money on this futile effort.  Fight to win with no holds barred, or go the hell home.

Posted by Drew458     on 02/15/2010 at 03:10 PM   
Filed Under: • War On Terror •  
• Comments (10) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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