Pakistan’s support of the Taliban
“The Taliban will always remain in Afghanistan, and Pakistan will always support them.”
- Gen. Hameed Gul, former Director of Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service
In: Geopolitics, In Their Own Words · Tagged with: ISI, Pakistan, Taliban
Congressman calls for hearing on military’s restrictive rules of engagement
[Originally published at The US Report]
A congressman said that Congress should review the military’s rules of engagement in Afghanistan, saying, “They have proved too often to be fatal” to US troops.
Rep. Walter Jones (R – N.C.), whose district includes Camp Lejeune, called for the House Armed Services Committee to hold a hearing on the rules, which families of fallen Marines have called “shameful” and “suicidal.”
When Gen. Stanley McChrystal, US Army, became the Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan in July, he released directives calling for “leaders at all levels to scrutinize and limit the use of force like close-air support against residential compounds and other locations likely to produce civilian casualties.” In addition to limiting air support, the new ROE also limit artillery support and require troops to break contact when civilians are present.
Gen. McChrystal’s efforts to reduce or eliminate noncombatant casualties are undoubtedly well-intentioned, but limiting our forces offers the enemy numerous tactical advantages that they otherwise lacked.
During one battle in September, four Marines, their Navy Corpsman, eight Afghan soldiers, and the unit’s interpreter died when commanders rejected repeated calls for artillery or air support, despite assurances that enemy forces were nowhere near the village. When the team decided to pull back, they requested smoke rounds to mask their withdrawal, but that support wasn’t approved for nearly an hour. Helicopters did appear – two hours after the battle began.
Numerous families have expressed outrage over the military’s rules, including parents of fallen service members. John Bernard, a retired Marine first sergeant and father of fallen Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard calls the rules “murderous.”
In: Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Rules of Engagement, Taliban
COIN: Know when to say when
To conduct an effective counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign, it is my understanding that one must also have a legitimate government that has the support of the people.
But Afghan president Hamid Karzai recently told members of parliament that he would join the Taliban if outside governments continued to pressure him.
Regardless of whether or not Karzai was serious, his remark effectively legitimized the Taliban. Has Karzai forgotten that tens of thousands of foreign troops are currently fighting the very terrorists he threatened to join? And the billions of dollars being spent to improve his country while the Taliban is busy destroying said improvements?
At this point, I don’t see how a COIN campaign can possibly achieve victory in Afghanistan. But then again, perhaps it never was since our leaders refuse to even use the word victory.
Maybe it is time to ask ourselves what George S. Patton would do. Old Blood and Guts was unceremoniously dumped by a military that was far less PC than what we have today (I doubt Patton would be promoted past Corporal in today’s Army). But he knew how to fight. And isn’t that the point of our armed forces anyways?
Given the chance, Patton would have today’s military run through Afghanistan like s–t through a goose (and don’t tell me our troops couldn’t do it if they had the support). The Taliban would learn the hard way that hiding behind women and children and fighting from mosques isn’t such a good idea. Real quick-like, the Taliban’s supporters – tacit or otherwise – would either change their minds or die in battle. Knowing that certain death awaits those who care to join the jihad would have a chilling effect on recruitment as well.
Then the Afghan people might realize that it’s the Taliban – not the U.S. – that’s making life bad for them. Rather than complain of – or fabricate – collateral damage from coalition air strikes, Afghans would turn on their Taliban for the IEDs that just so happen to kill or maim far more Afghans than they do foreign troops, or for any of the group’s innumerable atrocities committed against their own people.
There is no perfect solution, as fighting the Taliban without nation building would result in an environment where the Taliban can keep popping back up – although they would be significantly weakened each time. In that case, effective use of intelligence and special operations would strike them as soon as they threatened the U.S. again. In war, the most dedicated wins. And when we fight to the best of our ability, no terrorist group can outlast us.
If there was a compromise that could have been reached without resorting to war, we would have done so. But the Taliban will not compromise. Therefore, war is unavoidable – it’s basic human nature. And this war was declared on us. That being said, it would behoove us to begin fighting. Cutting the Taliban a $500 million stimulus check will not change their minds. Announcing to our enemies where we will attack next, or encouraging them to further exploit the rules of war by emasculating our rules of engagement will not change their minds. Neither will building schools, roads, or painting their picket fences. We can’t change their minds. And since we can’t compromise on our security, then war is the only choice.
We have been in Afghanistan for nearly ten years. I am not even sure why our troops are there now to be quite honest. After 9/11, I was under the impression that we sent troops in order to deny al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist groups the ability to operate training camps to conduct further terrorist attacks against the U.S. or our interests.
When Karzai legitimizes the very terrorists we are fighting, it’s high time to let the military be the military, and stop using them like public works employees and politicians.
In: Geopolitics, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, counterinsurgency, General George S. Patton, Jr., Taliban
Military Roundup
ACLU project endangers CIA interrogators: The CIA says that the ACLU-backed “John Adams Project” endangers CIA interrogators. The Washington Times states the Project “has photographed covert CIA interrogators and shown the pictures to some of the five senior al Qaeda terrorists held there in an effort to identify them further.”
On 29 Mar, 20 photos of CIA interrogators were found in the cell of a detainee believed to be a financier of the 9/11 attacks.
Some CIA officials are said to be concerned over Justice Department officials who formerly represented Guantanamo inmates. Last month, Attorney General Eric Holder admitted nine DOJ appointees represented GTMO detainees or contributed to amicus briefs on their behalf, but would not provide further details. Holder also admitted, however, that he didn’t survey the entire Department, just large offices. There could be many more former terrorist litigators in our “Justice” Department. Andrew McCarthy has more.
Photo of the Day: U.S. pilots flying Russian helicopters?
Cheonan incident: South Korea’s president placed the military on alert, said the sinking could have been due to a North Korean mine. 46 crew members are still missing and it is unlikely any will be recovered.
START Treaty: Russia claims they will have upgraded 80% of their nuclear arsenal by 2015. Meanwhile, the U.S. is paying to dismantle their old weapons systems – allowing the Russians to spend on new weapons systems instead. The U.S. has not introduced a new system in 15 years. Advantage: Russia. Big time.
Afghanistan/Pakistan: U.S. forces set sights on Taliban bastion of Kandahar
Ralph Peters: Gen. McChrystal’s “look out, here we come” warnings to the Taliban may be backfiring; terrorists turning on terrorists in AfPak; Obama’s midnight ride to Afghanistan sends the wrong message.
The good news? We’re not only killing terrorists in Pakistan — they’re starting to kill each other. The bad news? Afghanistan isn’t a war. It’s a politically correct experiment — conducted with our troops — by an administration with higher priorities.
Somalia: Pentagon considers sending surveillance (unarmed) drones, special operations units to Somalia in fight against al Qaeda-linked terrorists.
U.S. Navy E-2 aircraft crashes in Arabian Sea. Three of the four crew have been rescued. Search efforts are underway for the fourth.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: ACLU, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, CIA, Guantanamo Bay, John Adams Project, Justice, Taliban
Military Roundup
Iran: While our leadership appears willing to move mountains to work with the Iranians, Iran is busy teaching the Taliban how to murder our troops more effectively. It is important to note that the Sunni Taliban and the Shi’ite Iranians have little problem working together to kill our men and women. Meanwhile, Iranians are killing U.S. troops in Iraq.
Vets for Congress: Lt. Col. Bill Connor (U.S. Army Res.), who is running for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, has earned a recent endorsement from retired Army Major General Paul Vallely. With leadership principles like “Mission first, men always,” and “leaders eat last,” it appears that the Palmetto State will be in good hands. Scores of other military members have endorsed Connor including 12 generals and all five of South Carolina’s living Medal of Honor recipients.
Lt. Col. Allen West (U.S. Army, retired) is running for U.S. Congress in Florida. Mike Thornton – one of the S.C. Medal recipients supporting Connor – has also endorsed Lt. Col. West, and will appear in two campaign events on Thursday, March 25.
This week in U.S. military history: Military Milestones from Guilford Courthouse to Iraq
65 years ago, the Battle of Iwo Jima was drawing to a close. The Medal of Honor citations for the battle can be viewed at Unto the Breach.
The first episode of HBO’s miniseries The Pacific is available for online viewing at HBO.com.
Israel has declassified materials that display multiple instances of Hamas terrorists using children as human shields during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza Strip, despite a U.N. report stating the exact opposite. Meanwhile, five Gaza rockets have hit Israel in the past 24 hours.
Following its first-ever vertical takeoff the day before, the F-35 Lightning II made its first-ever vertical landing on Thursday.
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell update: In the military, male-on-male rapes reportedly occur more often than male-on-female rapes.
Afghanistan: Two Russian veterans of the Soviet campaign in Afghanistan seem to think that the Taliban can be bribed not to fight.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Gaza, Hamas, human shields, Iran, Israel, Mike Thornton, Taliban
Defeating Moral Equivalence
While I served to protect the principle of free speech, I detest when people choose to follow perceptions rather than reality and attempt to rewrite history. Especially when those people equate the honor and sacrifice displayed by the members of the U.S. military with the evil perpetrated by the Taliban.
To those who cast aside reason in this manner, I ask: What do you stand to gain by taking the position that the U.S. is no worse than the Taliban? And to those who claim that the Taliban are “freedom fighters,” what liberty does the Taliban offer?
The United States stands for liberty. And those who have joined the military must have felt sufficiently motivated by the principles and traditions of this country to do so (I can speak only for myself) – knowing that they are risking their lives. And they do so not only for our interests, but for the entire world – including our enemies. Our humanitarian efforts makes the U.N. look like Uncle Scrooge. Since we are human, that means we aren’t perfect. Every culture has it’s skeletons, and ours is no exception. Over the course of human history, the world has been dominated by one civilization or colonial power after another. But things changed in 1776. The United States stands for liberty, not tyranny. In our wars, we have taken only enough land to bury our dead. The Taliban on the other hand stand for tyranny. And an incredibly barbaric tyranny at that.
The U.S. military doesn’t use human shields, but the Taliban does. And how do you suppose they get children – who are typically scared of the dark, let alone the sights and sounds of battle – to stay or even participate?
The Taliban aren’t the ones building roads, dams, schools, and other infrastructure – our military is. The U.S. military doesn’t threaten, disfigure, and massacre little school girls and threaten their teachers simply for trying to go to school.
The U.S. military doesn’t use land mines (IEDs) – which far more often maim and kill the Taliban’s fellow Afghans than Westerners. George Soros’ phony human rights groups are nowhere to be found when it comes to this issue, and the media could care less (perhaps for the same reason they won’t wear U.S. flags on their lapel). The U.S. military doesn’t prefer to operate amongst civilians, with the express purpose of creating death and destruction, as is the choice of the Taliban. In fact our military limits our rules of engagement to the point that many of our men have died because of the decision. The U.S. military’s prisoners in Gitmo have better medical care than any citizen I have ever met, and their chief concern is weight gain – not beheading and a subsequently-mutilated corpse.
The U.S. military doesn’t produce opium that destroys millions of lives worldwide. The U.S. military treats women with respect, not as a sub-species only useful for sexual purposes. And the U.S. military has never lured in hundreds of women with promises of free health care, only to be raped on video as the Haqqanis did. And when the videos were discovered, the rape victims were tracked down and murdered in order to cover up the atrocity.
The U.S. military coexists with all ideologies – including thousands of non-jihadist Muslims who serve without prejudice (so much so that they promoted an openly-jihadist officer to Major) – while the Taliban seek a global caliphate.
When the U.S. military come across children in need of medical care, they stop at nothing to give them that care, including flying them to hospitals on the other side of the world, at incredible expense. The U.S. military even give medical treatment to captured enemy combatants, side-by-side in the helicopters with the soldiers who they tried to kill just moments ago. The U.S. military follow the laws of warfare, which were there to protect civilians from exactly what the Taliban, al Qaeda, and co. are doing to their own people.
To come to my conclusions, I cite fact. The truth is what it is, and I stand nothing to gain from misrepresenting it. If anyone doubts what I have posted, see for yourself if what I cited is true. It is preposterous to equate the U.S. military with the barbarians in the Taliban.
[Originally posted at Blackfive]
In: Military · Tagged with: Taliban, US military
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
“Our religions and our histories are different but our target is the same. We both want to kill Americans.”
- Taliban commander on his Iranian IED training.
Traditionally, the Sunni-dominated Taliban is largely opposed by the Shi’te-majority Iran. But the former adversaries have united against the U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
In: In Their Own Words · Tagged with: IED, Iran, Taliban
Just how evil is the Taliban?
This account is from Meena, a 13 year-old Pakistani girl who grew up around the Taliban. While you read this (and it would behoove you to read the entire piece), remember that Barack Obama seeks to pay off the same Taliban with your tax dollars.
From a BBC interview (emphasis mine):
My brother used to tell me that the place for a woman is either at home or in the grave. I was always restricted to home.
He said: “If you leave the house I’ll cut off your head and put it on your chest.”
My brother had been to the local school and beaten the girls and the teachers.
Taliban commanders used to come to our house. There was an underground bunker beside the house, with electricity.
It was concrete and very strong. Cars would drive on top but no-one would realise what was underneath. In that hideout they used to train suicide bombers.
Most were children of my age or younger than me. They were used for these activities because they were too young to know any better.
If U.S. Marines were training Afghani children to be suicide bombers, then I would join with other countries in portraying us as war criminals. But these barbarians get a pass? What kind of no-load, puss-nut asshole uses children to fight for them?
I used to see these children getting on a vehicle to go for their missions. They used loud Islamic CDs to motivate them.
And I would think, “My God, more Muslims are going to be buried”. Then the news would come that more Muslims were wiped out.
The vast majority of Taliban and al Qaeda victims are Muslims, not Westerners.
My brother used to prepare bombs and my sister-in-law did too. He told me that he would teach me this. I told him no. I would not even look at what they were doing.
My father and brother told me to carry out a suicide attack. They were pressuring me to do this.
They told me: “If you do it you will go to paradise long before us.” I replied: “Why don’t you tell me I will go to hell long before you?”
Every day they used to tell me this. Every day. I was very young when they started telling me this. I said to them: “What about all the people I will kill? They are all Muslims.”
They started beating me when I refused. They beat me non-stop. They made my life hell. I never had a single moment of happiness. They did everything other than kill me.
And if she dishonored her family by becoming pregnant (from her father and brother’s ‘punishment’), they could restore their family’s honor by killing her – nonpunishable according to Islamic Shariah law.
They said: “The bomb will be connected with a button, or something like the remote control of a TV. We will give you this kind of remote, and you will go to the place.
“We will also give you a mobile, and we will ring that phone, and press the remote, and you will be blown up with this bomb.”
They told me they would use such a large amount of explosives that no-one would even know if it was a man or a woman.
They told me that I had to do it.
There was a kind of medicine they used to give to the bombers that made them go around smiling, in a trance.
They said they would give me that medicine, and then I would go running to die – with a smile. I was so scared I decided to prepare my own tea, and my own food.
I was afraid they would mix that medicine with my food.
Sister’s story
They attached a bomb to my sister Nahida. They tied rectangular pieces to both her arms, and a black strip was wrapped around both her legs.
Then they connected the whole thing. She told my brother the bomb was heavy and she could not walk.
He said she would be comfortable once she was sitting down in the car.
They gave her medicine. But she was crying very loud for my mother. She kept going to her and hugging her. When my sister looked down at the bomb, she shivered.
Then my brother and my father started beating my mother, and they were shouting: “Why you are distracting the girl from her mission?”
I heard my sister saying: “Where is Meena? I want to see her.” But I didn’t have the strength. My heart couldn’t take it.
My mother fainted when they put her in the car. My brother said my sister’s attack was in Afghanistan.
I always think about my sister. She was healthy and a very nice girl. She was younger than me, but she was wiser. My mother used to tell me that I was an idiot, but she was very wise.
How does one put bombs on their children, and beat them for not wanting to go off to die? What kind of sick f— does something like that?
The Taliban slaughter other people’s children. They turn women into widows. They should be made to suffer too.
I want these Taliban to be burned alive.
In: Geopolitics, Religion · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Islam, Pakistan, Shariah law, Taliban
Rules of Engagement killing more troops
Like the Telegraph article’s title states: US casualties in Afghanistan provoke rage, frustration
Only the “rage and frustration” seems to be directed more towards the emasculating rules of engagement (ROE) rather than the Taliban.
As First Lieutenant Aaron MacLean, a Marine platoon commander stated, “rules are there for a reason.” I agree that a nation of law has to fight by the rules, but the rules that nation creates shouldn’t enhance the enemy’s capabilities and further endanger civilian populations while limiting the abilities of friendly forces to defeat them.
Lt. MacLean and his men recently fought a three-hour firefight with the Taliban who took full advantage of the ROE and managed to kill two of his men.
[MacLean], too is frustrated, accusing the Taliban of manipulating the rules of engagement by using women and children as shields and shooting from hidden positions before dropping their weapons and standing out in the open.
“They know we can’t shoot them if they don’t carry guns or without positive identification. They are fighting us at another level now,” MacLean said.
So the Taliban use women and children while killing more fellow Afghans than they do foreign troops… while our government limits our troops to the point where they are dying because of the rules? And the world views US as the bad guys?
“We were attacked treacherously. We came under fire from everywhere, but the rules of engagement prevent me from doing my job,” said Lance Corporal Mark Duzick, who was in the unit that was ambushed.
Outside a tent housing the Marines’ unit responsible for firing mortars stands an improvised cross bearing the inscription: “Here lies the 81st, death by stand down.”
In: Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Rules of Engagement, Taliban, US Marine Corps
Taliban public service announcement
Obama wants to engage the Taliban (not at gunpoint). But the problem is that the Taliban are ruthless barbarians – definitely not the crew you want to be seen negotiating with, let alone sending billions of taxpayer dollars to.
His solution: have your propagandists reinvent the Taliban as something far less savage. Reality simply doesn’t matter to the Obama administration – so they create a ‘virtual’ reality in order to carry out their policies. Jimmy Kimmel makes fun of the Taliban with this hilarious video:
In: Geopolitics · Tagged with: Obama administration, Taliban
