U.S. Planes Mount Heaviest Bombardment Yet

LA Times ^

[the Wayne]

GOLBAHAR, Afghanistan -- U.S. warplanes mounted what appeared to be the heaviest bombardment yet of the Taliban's forces along the front line near here Saturday as more than 8,000 armed Pakistani volunteers massed at their country's rugged northwest border, ready to join the Taliban inside Afghanistan.

The emergence of a new Taliban fighting ally, armed with rocket launchers and Kalashnikov rifles, threatened to open a troubling...

[the Wayne]

Am I the only one that sees this as a good thing? I mean, the US should be encouraging Pakistan to let these guys go to Afghanistan to fight us.

Every one who leaves Pakistan is one less demonstrator/rebel in the country. Every one is an additional mouth for the Taliban to feed. They're probably not trained well or experienced. And they'll nicely group in one place where we can kill them in one shot.

Heck, one group says it's going to march (430 miles!) to meet Omar and pledge their loyalty. I'd suggest a couple of Predators follow them and do their duty when Omar is found.

[SamAdams76]

Hopefully we are making new bombs as fast or faster than we are dropping them.

[patriciaruth]

Is this what is known as "targets of opportunity?"

[AZLiberty]

When the armed Pakistanis cross the border, they're fair game.

Bombs away!

[arkfreepdom]

I'm with you. I thought the same thing the other day. Let them come from all over the muslim world. Get as many in one spot as possible then unleash living hell on them. Those that survive can tell horror stories back home.

[duckln]

Good thing I agree. They are probably all agents, sleepers, etc. Pakistan now knows who the families are and boot them out also.

[Stentor]

Am I the only one that sees this as a good thing?

Nope. Take a look at reply 23.

U.S. Jets Hit Taliban Front Lines

[MilburnDrysdale]

DevilWorshippers the globe over are calling the faithful to aid the Taliban by going to Ashcanistan to fight. Freepers the world over are begging the gubmint to deport Aliens. What if W were to offer a free plane ticket and as an added bonus a genuine pine casket if they would like to make the pilgrimmage. Plane ticket one way of course.

[eclectic]

U.S. Planes Mount Heaviest Bombardment Yet

This sounds pretty mighty, but in fact it is something like 3 bombs a day increase. Such tempo just does not cut it...

[Liberal Bob]

There was another post that put them at 4000 strong. A few more hours and they will be 16000. Or maybe the guy was counting their ears and forgot to divide by two.

[P-Marlowe]

Does anybody know which companies make bombs? I need to make some portfolio adjustments and these bombs will need to be replaced. There could be some money to be made here.

[Gimme]

Good Points!!

[Gimme]

U.S. jets dropped massive bombs in an offensive that lasted most of the day.

YES!!!!

[Lancey Howard]

U.S. Planes Mount Heaviest Bombardment Yet

Great headline - - I gravitate toward these threads.

...as more than 8,000 armed Pakistani volunteers massed at their country's rugged northwest border, ready to join the Taliban inside Afghanistan.

Hello!! Bombs away!
I am already looking forward to tomorrow's headline.

[Lancey Howard]

...as more than 8,000 armed Pakistani volunteers massed at their country's rugged northwest border, ready to join the Taliban inside Afghanistan

"You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists."

BOMBS AWAY !!!

Thank you.

[El Pato Lukas]

They are a pain in our a$$. The Taliban doesn't have any means to feed or give any logistic support to these fools. They will wind up being our responsibility and if any are killed Christianne Amanpour will wave the bloody shirt. They have no value as fighters, but they will make it that much harder to find Bin Laden, Zawahiri, Azef et al.

[wretchard]

The numbers of bombs dropped are very low: about 1,000 a week. The number of aircraft used are similarly low. You might have 50 fighter bombers and 10 heavy bombers on a heavy day. The ordnance figures are limited by targeting capabilities. The US has the ability to direct about 150-200 bombs a day. This scales directly to the number of ground spotters and airborne targeting assets.

The key question is: what is the air attack trying to shape? The public view of the campaign is limited to three points of view: the narrow front opposite Mazar-E-Sharif in the Northwest; the Kabul-Pakistan border area to the Northeast and Kandahar in the Helmand Valley lowlands. From the map, it seems fairly obvious that the area of decision is an arc running along the west from Mazar-E-Sharif south to Kandahar. Kabul is not essential. If Kandahar falls, the Taliban will be mortally wounded.

The 10,000 so-called Pakistani volunteers are irrelevant, at least in the near term. They are all in the wrong place: near Kabul, which itself is at the head of a large valley complex at the head of the Helmand river. If Kandahar falls, the residual Taliban forces will essentially be trapped in box with the Northern Alliance to the north, the mountains to the west and the Pakistani border to the east.

The spring campaign will actually be harder, because the Taliban cannot be destroyed without expanding the campaign to Pakistan itself. The border between Pakistan and Northeastern Afghanistan will dissolve once (if) Kandahar goes. That is why President Bush must keep Pakistan whole at all costs. If he succeeds, then the Taliban will be crushed at the Pakistani border. If he fails, Phase 2 will not be fought in Iraq, but the heartland of Pakistan.

[He Rides A White Horse]

U.S. Planes Mount Heaviest Bombardment Yet

I dunno.........sounds good to me.......

[RLK]

Keep track of them. When they get out in an open space, napalm 'em.