Another “Green on Blue” in Afghanistan
There has been another green-on-blue attack in Afghanistan. One US solider is dead; 15 other NATO troops – including a German Brigadier General – were wounded. Reports say “about a dozen” US soldiers were among the wounded.
The attacker was killed. Three other Afghan army soldiers were reported wounded in the incident.
The attack occurred at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, located west of Kabul. The attacker was described as being dressed in an “Afghan Army uniform”.
In a separate incident, an Afghan police guard reportedly exchanged fire with NATO troops today near the governor’s office in Patkia province. No NATO casualties were reported. The gunman was killed.
Both incidents are reportedly under investigation at this time.
Further details may be found here.
Author’s note: earlier reports identified the location only as Camp Qargha.
Category: Terror War
Praying for Mustang.
Saw this story earlier this morning. This is great. Where is John Kerry…oh I saw this morning that he was talking about climate change. Maybe if someone told him that “Jenjiss Con” once conquered Afghanistan he’d show a little more interest in whats going on there.
Just read on another news feed that an Army Major General was killed in the attack. The only thing I can see changing now is that all officers will be in a Pope Mobile when going outside.
Ace is reporting that as well (linking to the NYT). Is that the highest ranking service-member killed in either conflict? I certainly can’t remember the death of anyone of higher rank.
Division CG out on grip-‘n-grin tour, probably…
I hope Mustang1LT checks in here.
Ex-PH2…I was thinking the same when I read this. I pray he is safe and well and hope to hear from him soon.
Hey guys,
We just got our Internet back up and this was the first I saw of this incident. I’m somewheres else so my soldiers and I are good. Waiting to see what the impact will be on our situation though. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I’ll be around later. Take care all.
Whew!
So glad that you are okay.
RIP to the fallen.
(BTW: let us know if you guys need/want any care packages.)
What is there to investigate? I mean really. The Afghans make it more clear every day they don’t want us there and never really did. They are like most Muslim nations. Completely unappreciative of any help given or offered them because their agenda to promote the hatred and death by Allah’s will on all infidels is more important to them than peace, harmony, democracy or anything. They have proven this time and again. They have a far different value on human life than we do. I cannot say strongly enough, we should have been gone long ago. Let us go NOW and take everything we brought including the “blue uniforms” and destroy everything we built. Let them have the life they want under Sharia law and then contain them withing their borders by means of high altitude messages, on target. I am tired, fed up and deeply saddened with Americans losing lives there. Losing lives to our supposed, allies we’re trying to bring into the current century is a grand insult on top of it all. Screw them all. I believe we should become isolationists with regards to Muslim nations. Especially those who produce, train and harbor terrorists. Deal with them from afar with the long reach of our arsenal. They can’t hate us any more than they do. So treat them as they would treat us if we were found in their country alone or in Iraq by ISIS.
‘They have a far different value on human life than we do.’
Small revision, Sparks. They breed like rabbits and place NO value on human life.
Here-Here. Well said and thank you.
Well, if they can get away from buggering little boys and goats…
We need to get the hell out of there.
To paraphrase HAMAS, “The terrorists desire death like we desire life.”
Don’t have to preach to us good buddy. I wish that Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” event would have been just that, Mission Acc
This damned phone!
…mission accomplished and then we just wrapped
Teach them a lesson; like what the Romans did to Carthage.
Also heard on radio, the general was German.
I heard the German General was wounded. One of my many other news sources had a link to this report stating it was an U.S. Major General. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/world/asia/afghanistan-attack.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Fox is saying it was a US major general as well; http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/08/05/man-in-afghan-army-uniform-shoots-at-foreign-troops-causing-casualties/.
Wonder how much more press this will get over all the previous green on blue murders.
The general just died it looks like. Not a big fan of GOFOs – but we need to raze the earth because somebody else fucked with ours.
Anything else is weakness to those punks…
The more I see what’s going on in the Middle East, the more I’m convinced that the only way to stop these savages is total annihilation. What we did to the American Indians was horribly wrong, but I’m not so sure the same policy applied to these whackadoos would be a bad thing.
What we did to American Indians owes more to Andrew Jackson’s misguided decision to deal with the ‘Indian problem’ by forcibly relocating them.
That is not the same thing as this.
Granted, the Afghans do not want foreign governments, and that they were somewhat successful in driving the Brits out. It does not excuse, however, their repeated attacks on US/NATO troops which are in the process of packing up and leaving.
If they want us out, so be it. I have no issues with that. But let’s DO take our cash with us. NO MORE US MONEY/EQUIPMENT/GROCERIES TO AFGHANISTAN, PERIOD.
ABC News is saying that the dead General is an American 2 star and the wounded one is a German Brigadier General.
Fuck Afghanistan; get us out of that shithole NOW!
Prior to this, who were the 2-star GO’s that were/are serving in AFG right now?
I know of 1 off the top of my head. 10th Mtn Div commander, I have feelers out to my weasels that be to see if they know anything…
Keep us posted.
Old Trooper…Thank you for the update. I am deeply upset by the death of the General and all others killed and wounded regardless of rank or nationality…except the Afghan murderers. I cannot believe they would allow Afghan security anywhere around a General Officer. I would have thought they were protected by Americans only and perhaps he was and some of those killed or wounded were our security with him. I am fed up and done with Afghanistan and lost American lives there. I am a firm believer now that we should leave ASAP and take money, equipment and after leaving, destroy everything we built for them from taxpayer money and then, seal them inside their borders with B-52s, drones, Tomahawks and everything we have in our arsenal to keep them there. They love their religion so much, let them have it and all the infighting and terror they want to inflict on each other. Bring it outside their borders and we will bomb them back inside with no mercy. We, in our country hold ourselves to a higher standard of the value of human life and freedom than they do, as well as most Muslims. I am tired of the worn out strained arguments of trying to distinguish the “friendly peace loving Muslims” from the ones hell bent on making the whole world bow to Allah. It is time to show mercy as it is shown to us. We showed no mercy in WWII in dealing with Hitler and the other Axis powers. To no surprise at all it worked and changed the world in the process. It is past time to deal with these Muslim nations the same way. They are more deadly and dangerous than the WWII Axis powers by far. Their value on human life, freedom and anything remotely considered civilized is nil, nada, nothing. The plague of this is, that is how they treat their own Muslim brothers because they are a different flavor of Allah worshipers. Their treatment and consideration of all others they consider infidels is too horrid to imagine, though we have seen… Read more »
We should hold that black rock hostage.
Someone already tried that: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112051155
A fundamentalist group seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca and held it for a few weeks before they were basically all killed or captured by Saudi, French and allegedly Pakistani forces. A young man by the name of Osama Bin Laden was deeply affected by this, not just because his dad’s construction company was working on the infrastructure at the time.
Just for your planning purposes, Obama admin cancelled a refresh order of TLAMs for the Navy – we are quickly running out of them and may not have any to shoot in the future…
Admiral John Kirby just told the press corps that Afghanistan is a war zone. I, for one, am shocked.
My motto; “When in Indian country, act like it”.
PSD get overrun or waived off?
I thought the vacationer-in-chief said that peace broke out there and everyone was singing the Muslim equivalent of Kumbaya. You know, the ones that goes something like “Allah hu Akbar, boom!”
One of my friends and someone I worked when we were junior officers is an Army Major General, I just ran into him in the Pentagon parking lot a few weeks ago where he was getting briefed prior to heading over. I have a very sick feeling in my stomach but won’t say his name till I hear confirmation.
Why is the Navy involved in a landlocked nation? I can see why mission change will not work. Give the pie to everyone and let them get their share? The we are “short of units” excuse doesn’t cut it. If we are we need to overhaul EVERYTHING with today’s military. Food for thought? Ready for the heat rounds…
The MG killed is believed to be highest ranking officer to die in action since Vietnam. MG George Casey (fmr CSA George Casey’s father) was killed in a helicopter crash in 1970.
Not sure if this qualifies as “dying in action” or not, Devtun – but a Navy RADM bought it in the Gulf of Tonkin in May 1972. (Also a helicopter crash, but very likely not due to enemy fire.)
http://www.rear-admiral-rc-robinson.com/
Hondo,
Great link…looked like this great man was destined to go all the way to the top – RIP RADM Robinson.
I know the the Navy is kinda screwy w/ their rank structure back in the day. Captains selected for flag rank were advanced to 2 stars (no 1 star insignia existed until early 80s?). The 2 star Rear Admirals were divided into upper half & lower half by seniority (lower half list always being the larger of the two). I think RADM Robinson was designated on the lower half list (0-7 equivalent) based on his promotion date & date of his passing…but, could be wrong.
BTW, I think there was a slight goof up in the bio. Apparently one of the youngest men ever to be advanced to flag rank in U.S. Navy history at age 44 in 1970…but his birth date listed was in 1924. Maybe I misread something.
Keep up the superb work Hondo.
One star replaced the rank of Commodore, which was considered archaic by the 1980s. The one-star admiral is Rear Admiral, Lower Half.
Don’t ask me why they did it that way. I have no idea.
Smedley Butler made General at 37. I don’t know of any younger.
Well, there was this guy named George Armstrong Custer. He was promoted Major General during the Civil War at age 25 (born 5 Dec 1839; brevet promotion to Major General on 13 Mar 1865).
Custer’s promotion was temporary; he lost his stars and reverted to his permanent rank in Feb 1866 during the post-Civil War demobilization. However, I believe he’s the youngest individual to be promoted to GO/FO rank in any US military service.
Don’t forget the famous Galusha Pennypacker. 😉
Was allegedly only, gulp…tender age of 20 when he was advanced to BG in the volunteers in 1865.
Devtun: thanks. Must admit that I hadn’t heard of Pennypacker before – but he’s legit, and you’re correct. It’s always good to learn.
‘Course, there’s always Lafayette – who was commissioned a MG at 19 in July 1776. But that was the Continental Army vice the US Army. (smile)
@beretverde, if your comment is related to Admiral Kirby, he’s the spokesman in the Pentagon. A Three star general was killed in the attack on the Pentagon during 9/11
The GO KIA was identified by FOX News as MG Harold Greene – RIP sir.
Where is SMA now with his speeches about not offending the Afghan soldiers.
DOD has announced the name of the general officer killed in Afghanistan.
He was the deputy commanding general, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/05/major-general-harold-greene-dea_n_5652525.html
I believe this is MG Greene’s bio. Caveat: it’s somewhat dated, and is not from an official source.
http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e2/c/downloads/251033.pdf
RIP, General.
Smart man. RPI is an egghead school (I mean that in a good way) and he had a real PhD. From stuff I’ve seen on TV it seems like he was TDY to Afghan from the Army Staff? RIP/prayers to him and the others hit in this attack.
SJ – he’d been appointed DCG of the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan. That HQ used to be at Camp Eggers in Kabul. Not sure where the HQ is today, but I’m pretty sure it’s still in the Kabul area.
A PSD team’s worst nightmare. RIP, Sir.
How does a Soldier go 34 years without a combat deployment?
The Big Army puts officers where it feels they’re needed most…sometimes it means they get cut out on all the action. GA Eisenhower and Bradley both were denied action in WW1, and had to wait more than 20 yrs for another crack at a war. More recently, the former head of TRADOC GEN (ret.) Robert Cone had to wait 28 yrs for a combat deployment in 2007. GEN Cone as a major missed out on the 1991 Gulf War because he was attending the Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Basically shit happens that’s out of an officer’s control.
To add to what Devtun said above: the Army has a large-ish community (the acquisition community) that’s responsible for the development of new equipment. Officers in that community typically are single-tracked, and are managed somewhat separately from their peers. Their assignments from around O3/O4 to O6 are generally within that community.
Very few such assignments are in combat zones. It’s kinda hard to design/engineer/develop/test new stuff while someone’s shooting at you.
From his pattern of assignments, it looks like MG Greene transitioned into the acquisition community as an O3 or very junior O4. Virtually all of his assignments after company command appear to have been material-development related. He also appears to have been damn good at it – good enough to make BG.
That model changes at BG. The Army considers GOs to be primarily generalists (no pun intended), capable of handling assignments in pretty much any area. DA does seem to use common sense and restrict command of combat units to those with a combat arms background, and otherwise use expertise where it can best be used. But a GO is no longer a specialist; they have broader responsibilities.
I’m guessing the Army figured it was time for MG Greene to serve in a 2-star DCG slot. Or maybe he volunteered, thinking it was past time for him to go downrange and do his part (I can certainly understand the latter). Dunno.
For whatever reason, he ended up in the classic “bad place at precisely the wrong time” situation. And he died.
May God comfort his surviving family and friends. And as I’ve said elsewhere: may he RIP.
Had a buddy come up on the net this morning- worked for MG Greene at the Pentagon- said he was a great officer and man. Really broken up about this. So are we.
We went through shock, then sadness, now anger. Of course- anger doesn’t do us a lot of good, especially when we are pretty far removed from the situation, but we *must* learn from it and remember not to be complacent in our dealings with the ANSF. Ever.
Here’s the most detailed report I could find. Thank the Canadian press, because there’s very little about in the US news. Go figure.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08/06/u-s-generals-killer-hid-in-bathroom-with-machine-gun-before-opening-fire-on-troops-afghan-official-says/?__federated=1
MG Greene was the type of person you hope all officers are or strive to be. He was intelligent, engaging, receptive, and interested in serving and protecting the American Soldier. He was an advocate for the American Soldier and the Acquisition Force that supports them. This is a sad day.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Cuomo-orders-flags-at-half-staff-for-general-from-5671641.php