Night raid deal reached in AF
The Washington Post reports that the US and Afghanistan have signed a compromise agreement on how the US will conduct night raids in that country, giving the Afghan government authority and approval power on how and when the raids will conducted;
The memorandum was signed in front of reporters by Kabul’s Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak and the commander of U.S. forces, Gen. John Allen. It appeared to give important benefits to both sides: the document gives the Afghans authority over the raids and gives the Americans an Afghan partner that will now be held equally to account if there are civilian casualties or allegations of mistreatment.
It also was a sign that Karzai may be willing to compromise on some of his conditions for a long-term pact. Americans and even some of his own advisers feared that his unyielding bargaining style would endanger the entire agreement, and along with it Afghanistan’s long-term security.
Given the fact that the Afghan government leaks like a sieve to the Taliban, I’m sure that the productivity and usefulness of these raids can only increase (that’s sarcasm, if you didn’t recognize it). We can also expect that every night raid will be an ambush. So, good job, Obama Administration. How many more US troops have to die for the Obama/Biden 2012 campaign?
Category: Terror War
Crass comment about election year casualties aside, where is the line exactly, between a nations supposed sovereignty and military occupation?
This isn’t terribly different from partnered operations in Iraq, where the MoD and the BOC called the shots as to where and when an operation would take place.
getting out of that place couldn’t happen soon enough
Definitely a recipe for disaster. This worries me as I will soon have a dog in this fight.
The stupidity of this decision is unprecidented. Time to pop smoke.
CI–how is it crass? This administration COULD have told Karzai to eat a fat bag of dicks, in which case they would have 1–gotten all butthurt and told us to leave, 2–gotten all butthurt and refused, 3–gotten all butthurt and caved.
Any way you look at it, this “decision” is just going to cost American lives, and if that isn’t our chain-of-command and C-in-C bending the troops over and telling them to spread it wide, what is?
I’d recommend that general lead some of those raids personally. Let’s see how much he supports this deal at that point.
So, our new slogan is going to be “we fight war from 9-5”, when it used to be “we own the night”? Wonderful. I suppose the country club war doctrine will be very effective.
I’ve said it before; we don’t have the will, or want, to win this war. When you start negotiating when you can carry out operations, you have lost. I’m sure AQ and the Taliban are sticking to 9-5 office hours, too. It’s time to bring our troops home and right now.
CI, even you aren’t stupid enough to misunderstand that OPSEC just flew out the window.
Jonn, the answer has been and will remain “Whatever it takes.”
No Anon….”even I am not that stupid”…thanks for being mature though. I have no trust in the Karzai regime. But my question is still valid.
Time to bolt. The only thing we’ll find is an ambush waiting to happen. Let the Afghans do their own heavy lifting and pay the price. Then we’ll see who is on what side. This is not worth another soldiers’ life. Let’s just continue our autonomous raids and drone strikes and leave the rest of them to the fate they so clearly deserve. If they want to live their lives on their knees as they’re incapable of standing for themselves then they deserve to live in the 7th century. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen an “ally” less worthy of our blood and sacrifice.
Guarantee Karzai and clan will be hanging from piano wire within two years. And history repeats itself. We need to focus on Pakistan….not because they are any more deserving of our help, but they have nukes. Honestly, I’d like the Indians and Chinese carve up the place and secure those weapons. Some people don’t deserve the right to self-determination and need adult supervision. Its someone else’s’ turn.
Lets focus on the close threat…Mexico. A clear and present danger and our greatest immediate threat as the same routes and delivery methods for narcotics work just as well for WMD. Go google IRGC in South and Central America.
Hell, they could make it easier, just do post on Facebook so the terrorist can read it on their Iphones and ambush the raids. that would save time and paper work.
WTF, what kind of fu–ing retard is in charge of this shit now?
I just say screw it all and go back to our past form of politics. If you screw with us, we send in the military, kill everyone with a gun pointed in our general direction, and then come back home. No more of this nation-building bullshite.