[Illbay]

But the difficulties of gathering intelligence was shown by the rapid aborting of a US special forces mission into Afghanistan 12 days ago. Resistance was far higher than expected and it has made military planners think again.

There it is again. Certain FReepers will rave that this is all a lie, but we keep hearing it, again and again, and subtly reflected in what our officials tell us.

I'm glad we lost no lives in that abortive mission, but I hope we learned a great deal more about how to operate on these guys' turf.

[quebecois]

I certainly hope that our military and political leaders are not underestimating the Afghans. Like it or not, they are very tough fighters and they have a lot of experience with this sort of warfare.

I believe that a land invasion would be a disaster. We should content ourselves to arming opposition groups and to dismantling Afghanistan via a vicious air war.

[mrsmith]

"There it is again. "
Isn't this the same fellow 'it' came from before?

Pakistani intelligence cooperation HAS been deliberately terrible IMHO.

[Boss_Jim_Gettys]

"But the difficulties of gathering intelligence was shown by the rapid aborting of a US special forces mission into Afghanistan 12 days ago. Resistance was far higher than expected and it has made military planners think again."

Let this Certain FReeper take a stab at this.

We see video of say 100 Special Ops forces parachuting from C-130's onto a Taliban airfield. We can surmise from reports that those very planes landed at that airport to pick them up once the place is secured. We see video of other Special Ops forces walking around in Mullah Omar's mountain retreat, leaving pictures( and likely other souvenirs), all the while in no apparent hurry like they are about to be overrun or something.

Yet how can this be if they were being repulsed by the ferocious 10' tall Taliban warriors (both of them)? Just doesn't make sense unless the video were shot on the same soundstage as the Apollo moon landings.

[Lazamataz]

There it is again. Certain FReepers will rave that this is all a lie, but we keep hearing it, again and again, and subtly reflected in what our officials tell us.

You are nothing if not consistent in idiocy, and proud in your ignorance.

Check the source, brainiac. The source of this article is, when you click the link, "telegraph.co.uk". Now check the source of the original article where you showed your a&&. Why, what a co-winky-dinky! It, too, is sourced "telegraph.co.uk". WHAT'S THIS?!? You mean the SAME news group would repeat the SAME spin twice??? HEAVEN FORFEND!!!!

Illbay, you are astoundingly, staggeringly dense.

[bvw]

The old boxing wisdom applies: "Lead with your head, not with your heart."