Posted on 09/10/2009 3:32:58 PM PDT by tencole
GANJGAL, Afghanistan — 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.
Four U.S. Marines were killed Tuesday, the most U.S. service members assigned as trainers to the Afghan National Army to be lost in a single incident since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Eight Afghan troops and police and the Marine commander's Afghan interpreter also died in the ambush and the subsequent battle that raged from dawn until 2 p.m. around this remote hamlet in eastern Kunar province, close to the Pakistan border.
Three Americans and 19 Afghans were wounded, and U.S. forces later recovered the bodies of two insurgents, although they believe more were killed.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
In my opinion you are exactly right! My brother has been to Afghanistan with a Spec. Ops. unit and he has been to Iraq and he will tell you Afghanistan is like a whole different world. The SF get the job done, they work with the CIA and local War Lords, quietly.
Obama had to flex his muscles, so he picked Afghanistan which was clicking away just fine. Send in more troops so he can look like a badass, get rid of the commander and put a SF guy in charge, so he can look like a badass. McChrystal’s plan of protecting the civilians comes from his SF training. Small units who deal directly with the locals, a level of trust is involved, that mentality cannot work with massive troops.
If we are not going to allow our military, which consists of our children, husbands, fathers, and extended family, then get them the F out!!!
The thing that absolutely pisses me off the most is that if GWB had such a travesty happen on his watch it would be front page news throughout the world and would continue for days and days!!!!
“...The thing that absolutely pisses me off the most is that if GWB had such a travesty happen on his watch it would be front page news throughout the world and would continue for days and days!!!!”
Post of the day!
Marine Platoon corpsman
Yes, it's time to bring our troops home.
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