Does this imply that we trampled upon our values as a nation when we firebombed Dresden and Tokyo?
Don't apply the logic of the past to our times. That would be... barbaric.
(/s)
Posted on 09/21/2006 6:05:46 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2006 – Much has been made in recent days of an aerial photograph taken in Afghanistan that reportedly shows hundreds of Taliban fighters attending a funeral and the decision to refrain from wiping out the gathering militarily. At a Pentagon news conference today, the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan said the rules of engagement provide all the flexibility needed to take the fight to the enemy and to protect coalition forces, but the decision in this case was not as simple as it might appear to be.
Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry said the intelligence available to the coalition commander on the ground did, indeed, support the belief that the gathering was for the funeral of a mid-level Taliban operative. “It was also reasonable to believe that, as he looked down at that photograph or looked down at the video, that a number of the people that were standing there at that funeral were Taliban fighters,” the general added.
But it’s what the picture didn’t show that ultimately led to the decision not to strike, Eikenberry said. Just outside the frame, he said, was an Afghan village.
“And it also was reasonable for the commander to conclude from that village that there were probably innocents -- maybe sympathetic to Taliban, but innocents, noncombatants -- that had moved to participate in that funeral,” the general said. And the photo couldn’t rule out the possible presence of women and children, he added.
“So that commander made a decision, based upon our values as a people, based upon our values as a nation, that he would not strike,” Eikenberry said.
The general noted that the enemy has no such values.
“I would point out to everybody that (the coalition commander’s decision not to strike the funeral gathering) stands in very sharp contrast to an enemy that will kill religious leaders wantonly, that will kill teachers in order to intimidate parents to keep their children out of school houses, that will -- as they proved themselves last week -- throw a suicide-bomber at a patriotic governor of Afghanistan who came from his home in Australia to serve his nation. That's what distinguishes us from the enemy,” he said.
“And with regard to our commanders' decisions, our commanders make decisions like this in the field every day, and I have complete confidence in my commanders that they always make the decision for the right -- for the right reasons and in the right way,” he added.
What say you????? Is someone feeling some heat????
Gee, I guess they'd behave and make nice to us too. Incredible. We're gonna' lose this war and lose big. PC will destroy us.
Their women and children are fair game until they stop targeting ours.
Does this imply that we trampled upon our values as a nation when we firebombed Dresden and Tokyo?
I thought we had weapons that were accurate enough to deal with that situation.
I think we must get some balls and really fight this war. And not let so called lawyers fight it.
I'm going to trust the general who had to make the choice on the spot, rather than second guess his/her decision.
This kind of spirit is what separates us from them.
I don't care. Heads should roll, starting with whoever made the decision not to attack.
AKA Terrorist barracks! You schmuckwad general!
This thing cuts both ways, imo - had we gone ahead and targeted them we would never hear the end of it from our liberal 'friends'.
Was that a concern when we bombed Dresden? BTW, we won that non-PC war.
Nope.
He should be put into millitary prison for the rest of his life for making such a stupid decision. What a jerk!
No matter what we do will be condemned by our media.
They either are or are NOT the enemy. And if they stand amidst "innocents" and we have the stupidity to not take the punks out, then shame on us. We can't win. We won't win. We don't have the guts to wipe them out.
I just think of what they did to the last two soldiers that were captured (eyes gouged out, mutilated, etc.) and I wonder when we're going to stop pussy-footing around and clean them out. All wars have casualties, and THE HELL WITH THE MEDIA. Boy, I'd hate to be in uniform today. They can find us (we're in uniforms) and we can't find them (they're cowards and hide amongst civilians). Lord All Might, Colonel!
Does this imply that we trampled upon our values as a nation when we firebombed Dresden and Tokyo?
Don't apply the logic of the past to our times. That would be... barbaric.
(/s)
So, Taliban women and children are worth more than American men, women and children. Nice to know.
"That's what it looks like to the untrained eye."--George Costanza
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