Posted on 10/20/2013 9:29:35 AM PDT by kristinn
An Afghan army special forces commander has defected to an insurgent group allied with the Taliban in a Humvee truck packed with his team's guns and high-tech equipment, officials in the eastern Kunar province said on Sunday.
Monsif Khan, who raided the supplies of his 20-man team in Kunar's capital Asadabad over the Eid al-Adha religious holiday, is the first special forces commander to switch sides, joining the Hezb-e-Islami organization.
"He sent some of his comrades on leave and paid others to go out sightseeing, and then escaped with up to 30 guns, night-vision goggles, binoculars and a Humvee," said Shuja ul-Mulkh Jalala, the governor of Kunar.
Zubair Sediqi, a spokesman for Hezb-e-Islami, confirmed that Khan had joined the group, saying he had brought 15 guns and high-tech equipment.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Will Holder investigate?
An Afghan army special forces commander has defected to an insurgent group allied with the Taliban in a Humvee truck packed with his team’s guns and high-tech equipment, officials in the eastern Kunar province said on Sunday.
Wouldn’t it be bitchin to have a self destruct on some of this stuff?
So, what say you all about going ahead and arming the syrian rebels? Only to have the weapons turned on us sooner or later. Real good idear.
Yeah...maybe the Chicoms put in some sort of kill switch when they made the components for us.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Yeah...maybe the Chicoms put in some sort of kill switch when they made the components for us.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
I don’t know if you are being serious,Facetious or sarcastic, but I sure have wondered about that. We already know that we get “compromised” components from them.
I’m doubtfully hoping he’s a gutsy dangle and some if this pricey stuff in fact secrets GPS trackers.
HOPING.
Not the first time.
This is SOP for the Afghan military.
I’d settle for a GPS transponder that could be used to guide in a smart bomb.
Wonder if that humvee packs a mounted gun and armor...
Night vision. Great!! Indian country just got a little more dangerous.
ASAP!
I’d settle for a GPS transponder that could be used to guide in a smart bomb.
I agree that would be good but I would also like to be able to fry the high tech equipment. We should have “special” equipment that is only issued to our so called “allies”.
As long as the opium fields are safe what does it matter? We are leaving and everything we leave will eventually be used against us anyway. Or if we were serious we would nuke them back into the pre-stone age. Turn the whole place into a sheet of glass 4 feet thick. Never happen to many billions to steal.
Back in the 80”s I was all for arming the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Now I realize what a mistake we made.
I'm going to tell Bob Costas you said that!
Yup. Stingers and all with a little cia training tossed in to boot. Wrong.
I believe it is and always has been impossible to accurately vet either Afghan’s joining the government’s forces, or Afghan’s working with NATO forces. The rate of Afghan military, or Afghan contractors and/or contract workers who have “turned” on either Afghan government military forces or NATO forces is high.
It does not add confidence to this incident to hear the Afghan military say they are seeking cooperation from local tribal elders. I have little doubt that the same tribal elders, or those in the perp’s home district were part of the process that vetted him in the first place.
What does a “devout Muslim” Pashtun man keep his loyalty to? The Pashtun dominated Taliban, or the multi-ethnic “Afghan nation”, or his clan? Or, is his ultimate loyalty dynamic and flexible with context and circumstances? I believe it is the later.
And the current context? Karzai is weak and the U.S. is leaving.
{sound of palm smacking forehead} Groan....
Ditto.
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