Afghanistan: a war that can't be won

[MikeyDB]

An evolving military solution is exactly what one can expect from the Bush lap-dog Prime Minister Blair.

Why is it do you suppose that while Pakistan supplies Islamic fundamentalist criminals to Afghanistan and Iraq that the U.S. and Britain don't require greater effort from Pakistan to police its borders? Could it possibly be a situation like Israel vs. the Palestinians? I've been assurred by many Americans that Israel is a test/proving ground for weapons produced in America. Maybe Afghanistan is becoming the proving-ground for British weaponry....

 

[BitWhys]

Don't know much about Pakistan. Military regime, no? The part that concerns me about Pakistan is The Brass parked our troops on a sieve.

 

[MikeyDB]

Embarrassing to fight for Britain or the U.S.

My heart goes out to those poor schmucks fighting for Britain and the U.S. in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The world watched as Britain overwhelmed the terrifying hordes occupying the Falklands and the U.S. seventh Fleet kick butt in Granada….Granada is the size of metropolitan Washington DC by the way.

These multi-billion dollar (and pounds of course) mechanized military juggernauts triumphed in battles over a scant few square kilometers but are wailing and moaning about the awesome power of a few Afghan tribesmen without helicopters tanks or anything anywhere near the military might of these two “Superpowers”….

Just imagine what might happen if either of these sad-ass jokes were confronted with an equal….

Why of course as America has demonstrated in the past… “We’ll nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark”….

Little wonder why Kurt Vonnegut lamented the sorry state of the U.S. military forces during an interview on CBC radio…..

I’ll bet China Russia or Germany for that matter could kick the stuffing out of the much-vaunted “Coalition of the willing”.

Bullies inevitably fall.

 

[BitWhys]

I'm sure they'll continue to see light at the end of the tunnel as long as they focus on maintaining air dominance and leave the rabble to the specialists.

 

[MikeyDB]

"Specialists"????

Do you mean those fine fighting men and women of Abu Ghraib fame or those jet fighter pilots who strafed Canadians?

 

[BitWhys]

us?

 

[MikeyDB]

Yes US!

 

[I think not]

This is better than a "After you, Alphonse — No, you first, my dear Gaston!" routine. :lol:

 

[MikeyDB]

FYI

I used the wrong term...they actually bombed Canadian troops...
Toronto Star
July 6, 2004.

NEW ORLEANS (AP-CP) - A U.S. fighter pilot who mistakenly bombed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, killing four, was found guilty today of dereliction of duty, was reprimanded and will lose more than $5,000 (U.S.) in pay, the air force said.

Maj. Harry Schmidt, 38, had blamed the bombing on "the fog of war," saying he mistook the Canadians' gunfire for an attack from Taliban fighters.

The pilot said his superiors never told him that the Canadians would be conducting live-fire exercises near Kandahar airport that night.

In the reprimand, Lt.-Gen. Bruce Carlson, who handed down the verdict, wrote that Schmidt "acted shamefully on April 17, 2002, over Tarnak Farms, Afghanistan, exhibiting arrogance and a lack of flight discipline."

 

[MikeyDB]

Yes a reprimand and wow won't that satisfy Canadians and give our new Afghan Freedom Fighters something to look forward to fighting along side our good neighbors from the south....

 

[MikeyDB]

It'll be a toss-up who kills more Canadians, our good neigbors or them terrible evil-doers...

 

[BitWhys]

Yes US!

I think its us as in Canadian. We're supposed to be good at that civvy interface stuff. I don't hear much about NGO operations in the area. Last I heard the biggest news out of them is they gave up on working the area while it was under OEF.

sssh. You're making the trolls edgy.

 

[MikeyDB]

My bad BitWhys...

You meant who were the specialists not voicing incredulity that the U.S. air farce bombed us.

I get it.

Don't worry about the trolls, He knows and I know and a whole lot more people are beginning to know about how ridiculous and corrupt this whole Afghanistan "mission" actually is.

 

[tamarin]

Back online after a five hour power outage here in Southern Ontario. Second one in the last week. Makes me think if Mother Nature can easily stymie Hydro One's best, wonder what real malcontents could do.
Afghanistan will likely make or break Harper. I continue to have trouble with the mission and puzzle why, in such a distant part of the world, major regional powers aren't doing the job. Russia (yeah, I know), China and India. Surely, if a powderkeg is sitting on their doorstep shouldn't they be the first to defuse it? But as with Darfur and the lame OAS and AU, looks like western countries are on the hook to resolve all the globe's regional disputes and issues. It's almost like calling a cop squad from Jupiter to put down riots on the moon.
And now that the Afghan president is starting to waggle his finger at increasing Taliban deaths you gotta wonder who's on whose side.
This is one political theatre that we shouldn't be buying a season's ticket for.

 

[I think not]

Re: RE: Afghanistan: a war that can't be won

Don't worry about the trolls, He knows and I know and a whole lot more people are beginning to know about how ridiculous and corrupt this whole Afghanistan "mission" actually is.

:?:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060622/wl_canada_nm/canada_afghanistan_poll_col

The Ekos survey -- provided to Reuters -- shows 65 percent of Canadians support the mission in Afghanistan, up from 62 percent in mid-May. The number opposed fell to 33 percent from 37 percent.

 

[Toro]

Re: RE: Afghanistan: a war that can't be won

My bad BitWhys...

You meant who were the specialists not voicing incredulity that the U.S. air farce bombed us.

I get it.

He meant the penalty-killing and power-play specialists.

 

[Colpy]

Re: RE: Afghanistan: a war that can't be won

An evolving military solution is exactly what one can expect from the Bush lap-dog Prime Minister Blair.

Why is it do you suppose that while Pakistan supplies Islamic fundamentalist criminals to Afghanistan and Iraq that the U.S. and Britain don't require greater effort from Pakistan to police its borders? Could it possibly be a situation like Israel vs. the Palestinians? I've been assurred by many Americans that Israel is a test/proving ground for weapons produced in America. Maybe Afghanistan is becoming the proving-ground for British weaponry....

For one thing, the USA and Britain don't control Pakistan.......you wouldn't be encouraging them to invade, would you? 8O

Secondly, some of the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan are incredibly rough, some of this territory is literally NOT controled by ANY government. Certainly it would cost much more than Pakistan can afford to even bring some semblance of control to these areas.

The idea that Israel is a test-proving ground for American weapons is idiocy. I expected more from you.

Israel has developed its own armour, and has improved USjets with its own technology.........and the US has NOT adopted either. Most of the rest of Israeli equipment used in battles with the Palestinians is very low tech.........

 

[BitWhys]

Does making excuses for Pakistan reduce the risk somehow?

 

[I think not]

Does making excuses for Pakistan reduce the risk somehow?

I don't think Colpy was making excuses, but you are correct that Pakistan is a risk.

 

[Mogz]

I've stayed out of this argument because frankly, i've been arguing this case for what seems like forever. People in our society have no idea what's going on in Afghanistan, yet are quick to pass judgement based on speculation and "articles" they get off of the internet.

I would like to weigh in on two things:

1.

Secondly, some of the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan are incredibly rough, some of this territory is literally NOT controled by ANY government. Certainly it would cost much more than Pakistan can afford to even bring some semblance of control to these areas.

Extremely right colpy. I spent some time in the mountains up near Pakisitan working with boys from 2 RCR out of Gagetown and members of the Belgian Airborne. We were doing mountain patrols to try and pick up on patrol routes and safe havens for the militants. The region around Pakistan is some of the most rugged on the planet, with very think oxygen and little shelter. I know it'll sound like bragging, but i'm in excellent shape, i'm keenly aware of this. I run marathons and can hump a rucksuck forever. Normally nothing stops me, yet the mountains of Afghanistan did. I was bagged, I had a hard time coping with the lack of oxygen, and I saw brown spots on more than one occasion. There were guys on the patrol with me that utterly blacked out and/or suffered from dehydration or heat stroke/cramps. The terrain is unforgiving and very hard to police. Just to put things in perspective.

2.

Israel has developed its own armour, and has improved USjets with its own technology.........and the US has NOT adopted either. Most of the rest of Israeli equipment used in battles with the Palestinians is very low tech.........

The notion of the U.S. testing weapons in Israel is moronic. As colpy pointed out (once again) Israel produces much of its own weapons; i.e. The Merkava Main battle Tank. Also, it takes the plans for U.S. pieces of technology, then edits them to fit in to their way of fighting. A U.S. F-16 is nothing like an Israeli F-16. If Israel were a true testing ground for U.S. weapons, then why aren't we seeing the IDF using the OCSW and OICW? Those weapon systems are state-of-the-art and where better to test them than Gaza in urban warfare? No, instead we see them being used in Iraq.