Another green-on-blue attack kills three Marines
CBS News reports that another green-on-blue attack claimed three more lives yesterday, making it four attacks in the last week.
An Afghan working on an installation shared by Afghan and foreign forces shot and killed three American service members Friday – raising to six the number of U.S. troops killed by their Afghan partners in 24 hours.
In an earlier attack, an Afghan police officer shot and killed three U.S. Marines after sharing a meal with them before dawn Friday in Sangin district of Helmand province.
Coalition spokeswoman Maj. Lori Hodge said Saturday that the three additional foreign service members were gunned down Friday night. The second incident occurred in Garmser district of Helmland province, according to province spokesman Daud Ahmadi
The news of two attacks on Friday comes on the heels of the White House calling the effect of these attacks as “negligible” on the overall strategy in Afghanistan. Says CNN;
“It is too early to say that this latest incident is part of a stepped-up effort on the insurgents’ part,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said earlier Friday.
“We know they are trying to maximize media exposure of these events but our military believes that the operational impact has been negligible. Nonetheless, these incidents do concern us and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families.”
Um, four attacks in one week tells me that there is a stepped up effort – since from 2007-2008 there were four such attacks in those two years. There’s been a “stepped-up effort” all year and the Obama Administration’s solution was to allow coalition troops to turn their desks to face the door. That plan seems to be working well.
Category: Terror War
Jay Carney reminds me of the Iraqi information minister. Anyone else remember Baghdad Bob? Dude knew everything he was spewing was 100% bullshit, but said it anyways. Even with everything goin ‘splody behind him right on camera.
“Nonetheless, these incidents do concern us…”
That’s it? They “concern” us? If I were kin to one of those three Marines killed, or kin to any other service member killed by a so-called Afghan “ally”, I’d be at the gates of the White House screaming my lungs out about their “concern”.
By the way, is anyone else perturbed at the common use of the term “green on blue”? Shouldn’t it be more aptly called “murder”?
Darveshan, which is were this happened was my old stomping grounds. Something needs to be done about this.
#2 I know, and they use the word “negligible” to describe the situation. Meaning so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded; in other words, they couldn’t give a flying fuck less.
Nothing more stressful than being on an ambush patrol 24/7/365.
the way this administration is treating our boys on the ground is beyond reprehensible. The deaths of 3 American troops should never be considered “negligible” and the fact that they not only believe this, but are willing to voice it disgusts me.
On top of that, three more Marines killed by an Afghan “worker”:
http://news.yahoo.com/three-u-soldiers-killed-afghan-nato-074923940.html
A quote from the article:
“But a coalition spokesman said the killings by the Afghan worker would not be included in that tally as it did not involve a member of the Afghan security forces.”
So they’re not counting the murderer and not calling this a “green on blue” incident (hate that phrase) just ’cause he wasn’t wearing a uniform…uh huh. Why am I skeptical? (rhetorical question with a touch of sarcasm, of course).
And what has happened to the other Afghan police, soldiers, and other uniformed personnel who were captured after murdering US service members? Don’t recall seeing much follow-up in the media about that.
They captured
Oops…that was supposed to go to another blog entry about Afghan service members murdering our people…too many windows and posts open at the same time. Mea culpa.
Yo, Jay…I’m gonna go out on a fucking limb here and say that the six-plus US servicemen killed in the last week would not consider their deaths “negligible”, you mouth-breathing, booger-eating, sister-humping fucktard.
Sparky, why do you wanna give “sister humping fucktards” a bad name?! You gotta remember, jay’s head is so far up obama’s ass, he hasn’t had a breath of fresh air in years.
My first reaction to the front-page story in today’s San Diego Union-Tribune was to think the obvious: the Taliban are now requiring a kill as an initiation rite. This works, because we have a United States President who has told them we are leaving on a date certain.
No wonder Team Obama is running false ads accusing Mitt Romney of murder — there is blood on Obama’s hands, and they know it. They are running the false ad against Mitt Romney in order to desensitize the less-informed public to the real culpability of this administration for multiple deaths, of US soldiers, of one or two government agents, and a whole lot of Mexicans.
Rising “Green on Blue” Violence in Afghanistan…
As of Friday, there were at least four attacks on US Troops by insurgents in Afghan uniforms, last week. There are no reliable records on how many “insider attacks” have occurred over the course of the war and the government has long attempted to dow…
Pressers are just empty company line rubbish, and euphamisms such as “green on blue”, “collateral”, “negligible”, and “unfortunate incident” serves to depersonalize and throw deodorant on a big stinking pile-nothing to see here y’all.
During Vietnam era, reporters mockingly called it the 5 o’clock follies – and it lives and thrives to this day.
Change the policy maker that made the policy creating the situation.
The world has become more dangerous in the last 3 1/2 years. The enemy has become emboldened.
To win a war, you must destroy the enemy’s will to fight. Unfortunately, US Politicians have been eroding the US will to fight, not the enemy’s.
One has to wonder where the flock the MP’s (armed OF COURSE) are when these jackasses are present anywhere on a base, outpost whaddafuk ever they are called these days. Eh, never mind, the Big Army bean counters must be trying to save on the cost of ammo and handcuffs….
And yes, “Green on Blue” is a misnomer, by all standards. The term comes from military map/tactical color coding, where “Blue” is friendly forces and Red are enemy forces. Green was developed later to denote neutral forces.
Afghan Troops should be denoted in Blue and Taliban forces in Red. Those enemy forces in Afghan uniform are NOT neutral.
The really scummy thing here is the official Associated Press article about it that I found early Friday evening. They referred to an ‘anonymous Pentagon source’ telling them three Marines were killed by their trainees which listed their unit and the location they were operating. Then they said they were unidentified as they families hadn’t been notified which made me livid as now everyone who read that and knows a Marine from that unit in that AO gets to be emotionally tormented about whether or not it’s their loved one. As of now only one name was released which IMO makes the wait the families are going through all the more unconscionable.
The government needs a major overhaul of not only the attitude towards our murdered personnel (try having that fuckwit tell those families that their loved one is ‘negligble’), but the Pentagon’s attitude towards OPSEC and the casualty notification process. There are too many people who get off on being cited as an ‘anonymous source in the Pentagon’ who have no qualms about giving information to reporters who think getting the scoop on a story trumps acting with some basic human decency.
with all yall on here, i am currently out here in the sangin district… i can rest assured that there has been some shady shit going on here. the ansf forces have fucked up, and they have lost shit as usual. but when you have a danger ranger stolen from the sangin bazzaar with many “afghan” uniforms in it, you know something is definately up. i have direct news as to what happened from the stuff that i know, there was 3 3/8 marines that died the other night from wounds sustained from one of these assaults, there was a former ansf person that was kicked out due to taliban activity, he is now dead, there are 3 marsoc personell dead after a shura that went on, where 1 person stayed behing and killed them, it sucks that this happens, we just have to step up our security measures, and believe me we have, and stay very very vigilante in order to stay alive and to keep our brothers alive, hopefully this wont happen again but if it does we will be ready for it, i know my fob will be
Sounds like ‘gang initiation’ to me.
Go kill someone, we cheer you, now you’re one of us.
It will happen again. Three incidents in less than 10 days are just tests. It will happen again.
@20 – It will absolutely happen again…because it’s a tactic that works. Not only do they constitute an insider threat, but it sows distrust between ANSF and ISAF.
It’s Insurgency 101. I’m surprised this hasn’t become a major threat earlier.
@CI — personally, I think it’s a rehearsal for more and worse things to come, like they’re getting ready to ramp up on our people, big time. And I don’t like it.
PH2- you thinking Tet Offensive type stuff?
@23 — Tet, or worse.
I can see them stepping up attacks right up til we leave. Since they know the timetable, they’ll let loose a big offensive as a recruitment measure, to say look, we pushed out the Americans. War plans should never be made public to gather votes.
The North lost the Tet, both tactically and in the hearts of the Vietnamese, who were offended by the Communist’s attack on the holiday.
The only place they won, was in the American press.
It seems there are parallels.
Hey, Han shot first when Greedo was about to whack him… not saying you should pre-emptively grease anyone, just keep your gat handy for when they get struck by Sudden Infidel-inspired Derangement Syndrome.
#19: Nasty- might want to wait a few days to give out SIGACT info like that. 6 days is the declass window for stuff over here. Remember Bradley/Brenda/douschebad Manning. Just because the media has it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been unclassified yet.
@RaptorFire, I agree. Here is my reason.
The reference to Tet has to do with the Tet festival, which is the Vietnamese New Year, which is a lunisolar calendar, and is frequently celebrated by people shooting guns at the night sky, to scare off Rahu, the demon who swallows the sun during a solar eclipse. The Tet offensive was timed precisely to the start of the Tet festival. 85,000 NVA troops were able to move artillery and ammo and supplies out of sight of the US and RVN along the Ho Chi Minh trail, and surround US bases and south Vietnamese villes and towns. What better way to hide the start of a major assault than a festival where everyone shoots off guns at the skY?
The Muslim lunar calendar is right now in the middle of Ramadan, which ends on August 18 this year. A feast called Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. The first day of the following month is declared after another crescent new moon has been sighted, or thirty days after the beginning of Ramadan if no visual sighting is possible. The last time an armed conflict took place during this time was the 1973 Yom Kippur war. The war began when the coalition launched a joint surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, which happened to occur that year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
So — since it’s been announced that we are leaving anyway, why not try our patience with gang-banger tactics, just to test our mettle? Who knows what this election year will bring? Next year (2013), Ramadan runs July 9 to August 7. Why not build up to a final assault?
Nasty, how do you know it was the 3/8? My son is with the 3/8 and I didn’t see anywhere that the guys were with the 3/8. Are you sure it was the 3/8 guys in this newest attack?
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