Afghan civilian casualties rise
So, as the Obama Administration and our allies switch to the withdrawal strategy, the Taliban, needing to satisfy their bloodlust are killing more civilians these days, according to the Stars & Stripes;
Civilian deaths and injuries rose by 23 percent in the first half of 2013 compared with the same period last year, and 74 percent of the casualties were attributed to insurgent groups, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported. In particular, the report noted the proliferation of roadside bombs (IEDs). Nine percent of the casualties were blamed on international or Afghan forces.
Well, they’d better get used to it, because there ain’t no help coming. It’s probably the Republican Congress’ fault, or this administration half-assed surge in 2009 when they were told by DoD and the CIA that this would happen if they didn’t fully staff the surge the way the commanders wanted.
The Taliban quickly issued a rebuttal of the report, saying it was misleading and produced at the behest of the United States.
Category: Terror War
Get ready for all things in Afghanistan to get worse the closer we come to leaving. Another opportunity to truly help a country out, screwed up by the POTUS and the ass kissing Joint Chiefs. Also, both sides of the congressional aisle are having to take some blame on this one. At this point I just want us out with as few American casualties as possible. The writing is on the wall that the Taliban will be ruling with Sharia law within a year of our departure. The Afghans just don’t have the will, courage or desire to get over the tribalism and round up and kill every AQ and Taliban insurgent in the country. They would rather bow to the Koran and Allah and dictatorship, than stand up for freedom. Like Vietnam, after we leave, the ones who truly support us there will be rounded up and summarily beheaded. The ones who have pocketed fortunes of American dollars during our time there will be the first ones out seeking asylum. Afghanistan…a good idea, executed politically and poorly.
when we leave, we will quickly see that replay of what happened in Vietnam. Hell Cambodia and the Killing Fields will look like childs play.
Before we went into Afghanistan the taliban were on a mission to wipe out any shred of modern civilization. Beheadings and stonings were the entertainment of the day (when no destroying ancient ruins because they were an “afront to islam”).
I agree with Sparks, when we leave those who can flee will. Those who supported us who cannot leave will be killed, and woman will become property again… soon the soccer stadiums will be alive with the sounds of rocks smashing skulls once more.
@1 It won’t be the first civilization to destroy itself. I just hope we have the sense not to let them taks us with them when they go.
This has all happened before and it will happen again, over and over, until there is no one left.
Some things simply do not change. I’d just like to see our people out before the withdrawal date. Pack up everything possible, leave under cover of darkness, go in and bomb the stuff you can’t take with you with incendiary bombs.
Either that or take off and nuke the place from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
@4 Better said than I could.
@1 This is what will always happen when we have no plan beyond an invasion plan, no plan for occupation, no plan for forcing a surrender, no plan for post surrender, basically no plans.
When that happens after you defeat what you believe to be your primary enemy the mission is clouded, the politicians step in and use the military in exactly the wrong way. There is no sense in occupying a country that you are not technically at war with because your ROEs rapidly become problematic. If we had declared war on Afghanistan, occupying the country allows for martial law and anyone out after dark can be shot. A lot harder to plant IEDs at night when anyone not a US troop out at night is subject to summary execution.
We are more worried about not hurting any Afghans than we are about protecting our warriors, that’s an insurmountable problem at the moment and the consequences of attempting to fight an insurgency as a police action are well documented by smarter folks than me.
#6 VOV,
Even if you had all those plans, I’m not too sure that the military/gubbment could implement them. After all, with a people who are SOOOO different in their thinking (local/tribe/family affiliations only, nothing much beyond that), how can you even teach them the concept of “democracy”, much less a “republic”?
We shoudda never gone in there in the first place. Even if there were priceless antique statues being destroyed. If the UN thinks they’re so hot as to want to rule the world, let THEM go in to Afghanistan.
I saw a decent video by a defense analyst on how we aren’t equipped to deal with nation building.
In my opinion We won both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan too quickly. We didn’t kill enough of them or lay enough waste.
The only way savages like that ever come around is if you slaughter them by the thousands, completely destroy their corrupt culture and force them to rebuild it, in a completly different manner.
Its like a bar fight, If a lippy drunk ass wipe just gets his arm grabbed and walked outside by someone he is liable to stay beligerent. If he gets his face pounded in, loses teeth, gets both eyes swollen shut and gets stomped on there is no question that he got his ass beat.