Caves pose unusual challenge for Army

Washington Times ^ | Thursday, October 11, 2001 | Rowan Scarborough

[JohnHuang2]

U.S. commandos set to begin search-and-destroy missions against terrorists in Afghanistan must be prepared for a new kind of combat

[1rudeboy]

I'll say that caves provide a unique challenge. Incindiary, or chemical?

[Brad C.]

Saw something for use against gophers the other day. Cute little device using oxygen and propane and an ignitor. The gases were pumped into the gopher tunnel, the oxygen causing the gophers lungs to expand while breathing it. When the fire gets lit, it just blows up the tunnel, without much gopher left.

[Ymani Cricket]

Said a Navy source, ...If I had my way, we'd be filling those caves and tunnels with napalm and fuel air explosives and torching the rats out."

Well put!

[Charles Henrickson]

Song Parody: "Hello Mullah, Hello Fatah (Camp Osama)"

[Imperial Warrior]

Gas them out and burn them like rats. Their own cowardice and gutlessness have dictated this method. Why should these piles of subhuman excrement be treated any differently or better than the Japanese at Iwo Jima?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Bush: "We will smoke them out"

[Chapita]

My worst fear was that others would recognise just how scared I really was!

[Wonder Warthog]

"I'll say that caves provide a unique challenge. Incindiary, or chemical?"

Chemical. It is too difficult to assure proper fuel-air mix for incendiary to reach all points in the cave.

[mewzilla]

E.D. was saying on FOX and Friends this morning that the Russian (Soviets back then I guess) favored the incindiary solution. Take one cave, baste liberally with diesel fuel, and strike a match. In this case, Taliban Flambe.

[smith288]

That would be immoral you see...we would never want to do that! < /sarcasm>

[RandallFlagg]

Caves? No problem..

Tunnel Nukes! Turning caves into graves since 1982!

[aristeides]

What we most need in this war is intelligence about the organizations and operations of bin Laden and the other Islamists. The records we need to capture may well be stored in one or more of these caves. That needs to be considered in deciding tactics.

[jwalsh07]

Sounds like a buy for whoever makes Napalm.

[itsinthebag]

"If confronted with an enemy in a cave, why go in after him?" said the Army officer. "Fire in the entrance would suck out all the oxygen, or seal the entrance for a calm, slow death."

Sounds good to me! LET'S ROLL!!

[bigjoesaddle]

THis might sound silly, but can't they train dogs to go in the caves with cameras on their heads?

[harpseal]

What we most need in this war is intelligence about the organizations and operations of bin Laden and the other Islamists. The records we need to capture may well be stored in one or more of these caves. That needs to be considered in deciding tactics. Unfortunately I agree with you. May God protect those who go in after the neccesary intel.

Stay well - stay safe - stay armed - Yorktown