Posted on 09/08/2009 8:26:52 PM PDT by Saije
We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition.
"We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation.
Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier assurances that air cover would be five minutes away.
U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and tree lines despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the village.
"We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We've lost today," Marine Maj. Kevin Williams, 37, said through his translator to his Afghan counterpart, responding to the latter's repeated demands for helicopters.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
Thank God for these heroes!
BUMP
“Obamas Rules Of Engagement In Afghanistan Costing Our Troops Lives”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2335891/posts
Their civilians lock and load, ours can only mourn after the fact.
Cindie
It is outrageous, but where is the outrage from the left?
Bears repeating: “Van Jones is worthless ... 4 Marines are priceless”.
“U.S. names dead from Tuesday’s Afghan ambush”
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1227617.html
“KABUL, Afghanistan — Navy medical corpsman James Layton, of Riverbank, Calif., had been ministering first aid to wounded Marine Lt. Michael Johnson, of Virginia Beach, Va., when both were killed Tuesday under a volley of insurgent bullets in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province.
“If we leave this house, the people in the house in front of us will shoot us,” were the last words that Marine Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, of Roswell, Ga., was heard calling into his radio before it went silent. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Edwin W. Johnson, Jr., of Columbus, Ga., died alongside them.
Layton was 22; Michael Johnson, 25; Edwin Johnson, 31; and Kenefick, 30...”
Bump
Ambushed Marines' Aid Call 'Rejected' (marine.com)
Bump
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