Posted on 03/02/2002 9:24:40 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
Saying soldiers killed in assault in Afghanistan....
I'm pretty sure he meant that he hopes the enemy will be so badly punished (decimated, annihilated) this time, that they will not want to ever consider gathering together in the future. Get it?
Did you see that disgusting Sawyer piece?
I am so incredibly sick of the Opra-esque a$$-sucking we're doing with these Muslim women lately. And I'm a chick.
U.S. Military Relying on Paid Warriors in Latest Offensive
By Kathy Gannon Associated Press Writer
Published: Mar 2, 2002GARDEZ, Afghanistan (AP) - They are the front-line partners for U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan - rugged Afghan men outfitted by the United States and paid $200 a month to hunt down al-Qaida and Taliban warriors.
Loyalty to their local commander binds them to the U.S. cause in a land where warlords have been known to switch sides easily, bringing along their entire force. As U.S. commanders pressed their biggest offensive this year on Saturday, they were relying heavily on these hired soldiers.
In Gardez, 385 Afghan fighters were leading the charge against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban holdouts in the mountains of eastern Paktia province, not far from Pakistan. They stormed in on pickup trucks armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket launchers and heavy machine guns. Thirty-two U.S. special forces in 12 vehicles also took part.
The Afghan fighters wore green wool uniforms, and pinned to their black hats were fluorescent pieces of paper to alert U.S. helicopter pilots that they were friendly forces.
The fighting killed one American and two Afghan allies on Saturday, the Pentagon said. There were several wounded.
One of the injured, 19-year-old Bakhtiar Wali, said he hurt his nose when the vehicle he was riding to the mountains plunged off the road barely six miles from the top.
Wali and his 134 comrades-in-arms are loyal to Afghan Commander Khushkiar, who like many Afghans uses only one name. They are stationed with the 32 Special Forces troops inside two sprawling compounds on the southern edge of Gardez city, divided from the population by large cement barricades strung across the road.
Traffic is diverted so it doesn't pass in front of the high-walled mud compound.
The United States pays its Afghan troops $200 a month and gives them food and clothing.
"It's very good. I like this job," said Abdul Razzak, who guards the road leading to the U.S. compound.
Commander Ismail, a former fighter against the 1980s Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, has 250 troops working for the United States in Jaji, 35 miles from Gardez.
The U.S. military gave Ismail three satellite telephones and money to finance his small army. He sent 80 of his fighters to Gardez this weekend to help U.S. Special Forces in Shah-e-Kot.
Ismail's base in Jaji is on the border with Pakistan, where several senior Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding and trying to reorganize.
"We have good intelligence. Our men know what is going on the other side of the border. This we share with the U.S. Special Forces," Commander Ismail said.
There have been problems, however, with Afghan fighters using U.S. military might to settle disputes and take revenge against enemies.
In Khost, for example, American soldiers are caught between Zakim Khan and Bacha Khan, two warlords with different loyalties and ambitions. Both are competing for American favor.
In Surmad, 25 miles from Gardez, village elders accuse their rivals in Gardez of telling U.S. soldiers that a checkpoint manned by their guards was an al-Qaida post. Surmad's police chief, Naeem Farooqi, was taken last week by U.S. special forces and their Afghan allies from outside the village.
"We don't have any argument with the United States, but why are they using soldiers that are not from this area, that don't know our people?" said Shah Mohammed, a Surmad village elder.
U.S. Special Forces in Gardez and Khost refuse to speak to reporters. American soldiers in Khost rebuffed a request for comment, saying all questions have to be directed to press officers in Kandahar in the south of Afghanistan and Baghram in the north.
AP-ES-03-02-02 1519EST
We made a very serious mistake in Vietnam by not *getting to the root of the problem.* In this case, the root of the problem is Saudi Arabia. As long as we kiss up to Saudi Arabia diplomatically (the same way we first took a light touch with Communist China, and then kissied up to them), the more Al-Qaeda men, money, and materiel will flow into Central Asia.
Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them. (G. Santayana.)
Hamid Karzai does not constitute a "puppet government". The man is serious, as is the president.
"We haven't even faced anti-aircraft missiles yet, but does anyone really think we won't."
DUH...yes we have experienced every single piece of heavy artillary that the Taliban were capable of throwing at us at the time. We pounded them. What we worry about now is the heavy artillary resupplied by Iran and Iraq.
"Most of the Russian mercenaries who were 'the northern alliance' are back in Chechnya, where it's open season on anything with turban or beard."
Total B.S. The Northern Alliance are back on their little warlordian estates in Afghanistan, concentrating on their own little itty bitty power games, and trying to sucker the US military into killing those whom they percieve to be their "enemies" for them.
PUHHHH-LLLEASE!!!
The last thing I want after a two week vacation is that loud typing, mindless, insulting Brit twit adding his/her dogmatic "opinions" to this thread!!
Heard anything along those lines??
Large Fuel Air Bomb..
See above.
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