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My girlfriends stepfather says his SAS friends were looking over a village and saw people in the village ing a goat. Apparently its some culture thing or some . Have you heard that? Didn't know bestiality was their thing
This war is a joke! They have handcuffed the soldiers on the ground so much that not only can we not do our job but we are unable to fight back.
-In my first month here, we were going to recon an area where the Taliban used to shoot an RPG and kill our Troop Commander. When we got there and dismounted, we were instantly shot at with RPG's, RPK's and small arms (probably AK's) from three sides. One side was on a cemetary one was through a corn field and the other was in a clot (the type of houses ). After returning fire the group from the cemetary fan off and the guys left from the corn field ran off, we went to the clot. when we got up to the door, our command made us have the Afghani soldiers knock. I am not kidding. We had to knock on the door of the house that was shooting at us.So we knocked and after sitting outside the "owner" of the clot came out and would not allow us to search his house.
- We have to drive at night with our lights on. This has led to our trucks getting hit with an RPG every time. We decided for a few nights not to use the lights, in the beginning. Coincidentally those were the times we did not get shot at. We were then told we have to drive with white lights and then the attacks came back.
- We need to get attacked because that is the only way we can fight these guys. Our missions are pretty much driving and being bait for them
- When we were driving down the street, my truck got hit with an RPG. The gunner engaged them and got one of them. Another one dropped his weapon and the gunner was unable to shoot him. Even though he had positive identification that it was from the same group who shot at us.
- My unit saw Taliban putting an IED in the road. When they went to fight them, they ran into a clot nearby. We were not allowed to go into the house and get them or even fire on the building.
- We are not allowed to call the Taliban the Taliban. I am at the bottom of the chain of command so I don't know who's ridiculous idea it was. This right here all by itself shows the PC politician bullcrap that infested this war.
The plus side of here compared to Iraq is the Afghan Army and Police are corrupted. They want to fight these guys and alot of the units aren't bad, but we can't do much to help except get killed in the process. The locals I met for the most part have never seen Americans and like us and what we are doing. None of these people like the Taliban or AQ but we cannot help them. Not like this. The politicians need to let the military fight or get us out.
My girlfriends stepfather says his SAS friends were looking over a village and saw people in the village ing a goat. Apparently its some culture thing or some . Have you heard that? Didn't know bestiality was their thing
Just out of curiosity, who writes the rules of engagement?
That's not a rhetorical. I honestly don't know. Does the President write them?
Also, btw: are you in Afghanistan, SnC?
Hope you're well. Haven't seen too much of you here lately.
I'd assume they are written by military personnel with "guidance" from civilians and ultimately the president.
SnC, stay safe.
I completely agree that these rules sound like you're being dangled out as expendable ways to try to win the hearts and minds of afghans. I don't think you're bait per say but I do think it shows you how expendable you are for the political goals.
Ultimately I completely agree with your last statement. You can't impose rules like this on a military unit and expect them to function well. How many ing times do we have to learn this lesson?
I never agree with you SnC but if you get a chance to read this I hope you know that I want you to come back safe so I can continue to sling insults your way.
+10.
Stay safe SnC.
Be safe SNC.
NATO Campaign Having Little Impact on Taliban, Say US Intelligence Agencies
The CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency reportedly say that insurgents are weathering NATO efforts by hiding in Pakistan.
The Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan have been largely unaffected by NATO's campaign, according to assessments by US intelligence services.
http://www.truth-out.org/nato-campai...ies64596?print
==========
The US military and MIC are no longer under the control of the civilians.
btw, Magic Negro/Pannetta just made official that the long-standing status that the CIA is totally immune to oversight.
you want the locals to assist........then you leave.......then they get their heads pounded for assisting?
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf
289 page pdf file.
After Vietnam, a young army Colonel was tasked with figuring out how we lost the war. In the mid-80's. This study took years and consulted a LOT of very bright people inside and outside the military, as well as military commanders at all levels in that conflict.
This is the result.
You may be familiar with the author, Colonel Patraeus. Yes, THAT Patraeus.
Take a read and tell me if your situation conforms to the SOP established by this manual.
Essentially, we have accepted the risks and limitations on ground pounders "where the rubber meets the road" to meet wider strategic objectives.
It is one of the paradoxes of counterinsurgency.
The FM can be fairly summarized as follows:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/841519.html
- Sometimes, the more you protect your force, the less secure you may be
- Sometimes, the more force is used, the less effective it is
- The more successful the counterinsurgency is, the less force can be used and the more risk must be accepted
- Sometimes doing nothing is the best reaction
- Some of the best weapons for counterinsurgents do not shoot
- The host nation doing something tolerably is normally better than us doing it well
- If a tactic works this week, it might not work next week; if it works in this province, it might not work in the next
- Tactical success guarantees nothing
- Many important decisions are not made by generals
Is the OP actually serving in the military or was that a copy and paste from someone else? I ask because I thought posts like his goes against the rules found in OPSEC.
Anyway I'm all for the troops GTFO of both Iraq and Afghanistan especially with the vehicles they're using, rules of engagement, and the unpopularity of the war back home but this is just all vague talk. If allied forces did end up seriously withdrawing from these areas it could also be spun pretty negatively by not only Fox News but terrorist organizations, allied countries, and liberated citizens. Lose-lose situation, just depends how much you want to lose...
HoweverTo all those serving though including the OP. Hopefully the military commanders and politicians don't fail you guys like they did in Nam.
To understand *that* requires a bit of linguistics, and it has little to do with "PC crap".
The word "taliban" simply means "students". It was taken up by the former government because many of the leaders of that movement were former religious school students. It does not have the same meaning, either linguistic or cultural to the Pashtuns and other ethnicities you will be dealing with.
If you start using the word indescriminantly among the population, and they recognize that you are looking to shoot "students", they will wonder why you are intending to shoot their children.
http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...23&postcount=2a literal translation of Talib or Taleb is "A Person in need (of something)" in Arabic. It is popularly used for 'student.' The normal plural would be 'tullab' in Arabic but the Pashto plural is to add the 'an (Which in Arabic makes it 'two students'). A large batch of Koranic students out of the Paksitani Madrassas became the best organized and the largest of many factions in Afghanistan after the USSR departed. Since they were mostly students and were quite religious, they called themselves the Students; the Taleb An in Pashto. They later became the de-facto government is Afghanistan.
The world Talib is also used for 'seeker,' context dependent, in Arabic, Urdu and Pashto. It's also a popular name for boys in both India and East Africa.
I am fairly sure SNC is actually on the ground.Is the OP actually serving in the military or was that a copy and paste from someone else? I ask because I thought posts like his goes against the rules found in OPSEC.
Anyway I'm all for the troops GTFO of both Iraq and Afghanistan especially with the vehicles they're using, rules of engagement, and the unpopularity of the war back home but this is just all vague talk. If allied forces did end up seriously withdrawing from these areas it could also be spun pretty negatively by not only Fox News but terrorist organizations, allied countries, and liberated citizens. Lose-lose situation, just depends how much you want to lose...
However
I am also fairly sure he has little training or background on Afghanistan, its history, culture, or languages, other than whatever crash courses has been given immediately before deployment, a common trait among just about every US servicemember who has ever served overseas in any of our wars.
One famous patriot soldier who figured out what was going on and went anti-war got murdered, Tillman.
SnC, make sure you GTFO in one piece and come back home safe.
Um, I thought SnC was over there before.
Was he in Iraq?
(Please advise.)
Last edited by Winehole23; 10-30-2010 at 04:00 AM.
wow. they need to allow a warzone to be a warzone, otherwise it's just setting us up for failure.
also, i know we're broke and all, but i wonder how fast would turn around if they had jobs besides opium and weren't so dirt poor and desperate. if we created a manufacturing base it would probably work wonders. can we at least give them the magic of call centers or something?
i know i don't agree with the majority of your ideals, but still, come home safe.
Thanks for the insight SnC, we appreciate it and the job you're doing for all of us back home.
No matter how dangerous and wimpy the rules of engagement are, the US empire ain't NEVER gonna win th Afghanis' and Pakis' hearts and minds.
All the generals are doing now is trying to save their careers from having "lost" in Iraq and Afghanistan, with political help (aka $$) from the war-enriched MIC.
Too bad people (suckers?) still sign up for the US imperial forces fighting wars that having nothing to do with American safety, only American corps' profits and the Generals ribbons, career padding, and war zone premiums. I appreciate that young people can't find jobs in the Repug/Banksters' Great Depression, which conveniently pushes poor kids into the wars while the rich kids stay home.
The locals will always outwait and outlast the invaders. The best thing the US military has going for it now is that amnesiac, fat-assed Americans give no priority to Iraq and Afghanistan, nor to the maimed and dead US military. Permanent war is accepted helplessly as just "what America does": shifting taxpayers funds to the MIC while being force to accept war deficits and interest payments for decades.
We can't go balls out, because the whole point is setting up shop on those rare-earth minerals. China aint gonna sell theirs, so if we want to stay in the game we need to keep a sustainable presence there. And if we piss the natives off our corps will never be able to get their claws on the goods.
Don't mind all that bull about terrorism. Its all about $$$.
SnC, stay safe.
Dude, you are talking down to a US serviceman now? To follow up on your post-mortem dis on Whott?
Fuggin amazing. You are in every sense of the word. What a ing vagina.
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