Hundreds More Troops Are Needed To Beat Taliban, Warns NATO Chief

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 9-8-2006 | Richard Westmacott

[blam]

"Canadian forces south-west of Kandahar yesterday reported that they were tightening their hold on the area where they claim to have several hundred Taliban fighters trapped in the village of Pashmul."

Can't we spare a couple B-52's?

[dirtboy]

IMO there is a very delicate knife-edge in Afghanistan for western troops. Get too many foreign troops there, and the various tribal groups will decide they are being occupied and join together long enough to expell the outsiders, and then they'll go back to their millenial-old habits of shooting at each other.

[cripplecreek]

Needing hundreds is encouraging because he isn't asking for thousands.

[MNJohnnie]

I guess since this is some of the 1st battles NATO has fought this, is fact instead of hyperbole.

He said Nato troops were fighting the fiercest battles in the organisation's history.

[RKV]

Hundreds of Euro-fighters or a dozen US troops (with the right rules of engagement).

[blam]

"Needing hundreds is encouraging because he isn't asking for thousands."

I agree. Hundreds ought to be doable.

[TomGuy]

Is this turning into the same kind of fiasco that the old Soviet Union discovered Afghanistan to be?

[Rb ver. 2.0]

No, it's not.

[mylife]

Is this turning into the same kind of fiasco that the old Soviet Union discovered Afghanistan to be?

I Doubt it.

The big difference is that The Soviets wished to crush them and take them over.
We have no such intent. We intend to allow Aghans to control Afghanistan.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Hundreds of Euro-fighters or a dozen US troops (with the right rules of engagement).

They lost 35 out of 4,500 and now want hundreds more to replace them. Is Monty Montgomery the general over there?

[Bringbackthedraft]

"Hundreds ought to be doable." Yeah, like 99 hundreds? There seems to be an endless supply of fighters coming in from the border region and we aren't controlling the flow. What we need is an OK from Musharrif to go in there and mess them up in their base camps in a joint operation. B52s are out because the SOBs are in there amongst women and children. I suspect that we will soon see more manufactured IEDs from Iran used there too. With the Taliban, we are fighting a belief, its the belief that has to be destroyed. This will go on for years, once we leave its back to the same ole same ole there.
As my Afghan friend here told me, its better to live here and not to worry who is coming next to kill you. He is a Pushtun and he has no desire to return there.

[ChristianDefender]

Is this turning into the same kind of fiasco that the old Soviet Union discovered Afghanistan to be?

I dont think it will turn that way... there is a big difference bet. the Talibs and Western troops lately... American/Canadian/Euro troops are very well trained and fights very well coordinated. Most of the Talibs don't want to engage directly to the troops because this will mean non-stop chases and a likely death... If we try to anylize the casualties on our side, its too far small. Only the MSM is making a big deal out of it. I'd say let all NATO soldiers go there and get exposed to the real firefights free of charge rather than sitting back in their own countries criticizing how Americans fight the war. Let them taste it for good.

[The_Reader_David]

Hundreds? Not thousands? Surely all of NATO can manage to send another, say 1900 troops to Afghanistan without breaking a sweat.

[Cobra64]

Can't we spare a couple B-52's?

No one can explain to me why we fight a PC war with no objective to win.

[Owl558]

"American/Canadian/Euro troops are very well trained and fights very well coordinated."

This is very much the case. The Canadians have been particularly outstanding. Allied or American, if the commanding general wants more troops, he should get them.

[ChristianDefender]

The Canadians have been particularly outstanding.

Indeed. Im glad that lately, the new PM is giving enough attention to it's military that was in most time despised by their own former (liberal) leaders. They got a good breed of tough soldiers...

[Recovering_Democrat]

How about 10,000 daisy cutters?

[weegie]

The "Euro-fighters" as you call them are UK Paratroopers.

I would love, absolutely love, to see you repeat that kind of slur in their presence.

I would also bet money that any US millitary who have served with the Paras would put you straight in short order if you ever discussed it with them.

[RKV]

Happy to do so.

[Fiona Smythe]

Hundreds of Euro-fighters or a dozen US troops (with the right rules of engagement).

That would be fine with me, if it's what you want. You just replace our fighters with Americans. Then my British officer, a veteran of Iraq1, Iraq2 (two tours), now with NATO in a southern province of Afghanistan could come home to us.

Maybe ALL the NATO fighting men should come home. According to you, several dozen Americans could handle it.