Posted on 03/17/2002 3:23:06 AM PST by Clive
Let us keep out eye on the ball.
We are now in a war against indigenous irregulars in territory that favours the indigenous irregulars.
We can send in our own indigenous forces to apply the kind of force that they are expert at projecting and back them up with the kind of force that we are expert at applying.
Success by either side will only be realized when the other side quits.
Our soldiers jhave read Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. The media have not except to extract cute sayings, usually out of context.
Yes, American's have a lot to learn about this elusive enemy we call Afghan commanders for it is they who, through their internetwork of tribal, religious and family relations that do not take seriously their role. Now that American's know these same Afghan commanders, who are critical of us, are in fact loyal only to themselves and that they can not be counted on to execute their missions or even fight if it requires dying....
Yes, American is prepared to fight this type of war without the support of her "loyal to who" Afghan commanders, i.e., allies.
Translation: "These bombs so devastate the area that there is nothing left for the Afghanis to loot, even the clothing on the El Quaeda terrorists is burned to pieces of charred cloth".
This is purely a PR statement that doesn't even come close to being true. For it to be true, this idiot would be assuming that *every one* of the alledged (very alledged) killed were trained to fly commercial jets into thousands of buildings in the US *just as occupied* as the WTC towers were *and* that the US would somehow allow this to happen thousands of times. Preposterous.
"Americans don't listen to anyone," said Cmdr. Abdul Wali Zardran.
These are the guys I would be listening to. As much as many people here in the US and even on FR like to dismiss the enemy or Arabs in general as being a bunch of idiot ragheads with AK-47s, the truth is that some of them know a thing or two about fighting -- learned from lots of personal experience. I wouldn't dismiss what they say and I *certainly* would take their opinion over the REMF I first quoted.
I don't know how much we spent on this operation, but I'm sure it wasn't cheap in lives or resources. According to the Afgans we've got on our side, they found some 30-odd bodies...lets double that, no, let's *triple* that: 100 dead. Over 300 got away, if not more, not to mention the uncertainty over how many were there in the first place. *Plus* the fact that the enemy escaped to other countries.
Sounds like a Vietnam definition of 'victory' to me. (No offense to our vets who fought there. You know what I'm talking about.)
Tuor
Must be mistaken. But I can't help but wonder where these "afgan commanders" were when the Taliban, who lasted all of 30 days, were running their pile of rubble, called laughingly, a country.
hmmm
I do take offense, but realize you do not know what you are talking about.
If the "Endstate" for this these operations becomes high "Kill-ratios", you can thank the press and GW's enemies in Congress for their constant sniffling about lack of progress.
The results of waging that type of war still reverberate in the American psyche and perhaps will for some time to come.
I pray we are not heading down that same tried and tired path again. We can not engage an enemy bent upon "our destruction" by their rules. GW said we would pick the time and the manner of engagement. I hope he, Rummy, and our political leadership which dictates Military policy fully understand that and leave the conduct of WAR up to the professionals whose sole mission should be to WIN.
I am not suggesting we aren't, but articles such as this certainly give this old vet cause for concern.
Then I'll explain it to you.
The Press and Our Government likes to declare Victory at the drop of a hat. Otherwise, the Good People of our Beloved Country might get the sneaking suspicion that All Was Not Well in the War Zone, and hence might demand an accounting from the Powers That Be.
I was certainly not talking about the effort or actual victories you and your pals pulled off: I'm not talking about the reality of things, but the perception of them given by the media and the PR-types in the military.
But I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. There was no propaganda during Vietnam. Nevermind.
Tuor
When I was in the military, we had a name for leaders such as these, but I can't repeat it on this site.
If our courageous military personnel were only in Afghanistan to support the Afghans in the fight against Al Quieda, I'd pull them out in a New York minute. Our forces are in Afghanistan to rout and destroy terrorists and it appears that at least some Afghan military "leaders" don't share that goal. If they don't want to be part of the solution, then they should move out of the way and keep their Monday morning quarterbacking to themselves, IMHO.
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