Denizens of Free Republic need to know that Debka is of questionable reliability and that caveat lector (let the reader beware) is the order of the day when reading stuff from there.
You may be getting the inside skinny, but then again it may be pure bullbleep and there's no sure way to know which it is.
I think a good rule of thumb is that the more sensational the article the less likely it is to be factual.
NEWS BRIEF: "US Withdraws, Leaving Afghan Battle Unresolved: Is Tactical Nuclear Option Open?", DEBKAfile Special Military Analysis, 10 March 2002."Sunday, March 10, the United States unexpectedly ordered 400 US troops lifted out of the battle area south of Gardez in the Afghan Paktia province. As helicopters carried the troops back to Bagram airbase, a US spokesman announced that the major part of the offensive against the al Qaeda and Taliban stronghold was over and American troops were in the process of repositioning. But, he insisted, the fight was not over yet. DEBKAfile's military analysts suspect that this pullout is the first stage of the withdrawal of the bulk of the 1,600 US troop-force fielded for Operation Anaconda, the largest US-led offensive ... Given the setbacks in Tora Bora and the Shah-e-Kot Valley - for lack of intelligence and reliable Afghan allied troops - US military planners may lean further towards the use of tactical nuclear weapons to finish off the Taliban and al Qaeda strongholds still defying conventional means of warfare."
Certainly, the abrupt withdrawal of American forces from the field of battle while the battle is still raging and while the end result was still not decided, is a likely scenario for the sudden use of tactical nuclear warheads against the entrenched enemy. U.S. forces could not be deployed in a forward position when tactical nuclear warheads explode, or they will be wiped out along with the enemy. Conversely, when the Afghan soldiers saw the abrupt withdrawal of American forces during the heat of battle, the more seasoned and experienced among them must know that the withdrawal might not mean victory but rather the use of a far heavier, far more powerful, weapon: the tactical nuclear warhead.
While the use of tactical nuclear devices in Afghanistan would certainly shock the world, we have been given fair warning. Consider the news stories that have come out since 9/11 that should have prepared us for this outcome.
Pure unadulterated bullbleep!