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| Afghanistan | |
| Afghan Surge Working, Taliban Realize "Marines are crazy!" | |
| 2010-10-13 | |
| The U.S. military is starting to see signs that the troop surge in Afghanistan is working on a timetable similar to the Iraq reinforcement campaign in 2007, according to an outside adviser and military sources. "There are already some early signs of a beginning of a momentum shift in our favor," retired Army Gen. Jack Keane told The Washington Times. Gen. Keane just returned from a two-week tour of the battlefield, where the focus is on ousting the Taliban from Kandahar, its birthplace, as well as from Helmand province and other southern and eastern areas. He reported his findings to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Kabul, who saw the surge of 30,000 troops completed in August, placing about 100,000 American service members in country. An architect of the Bush administration's surge of troops in Iraq, Gen. Keane advised Gen. Petraeus when he was the top commander there. Gen. Keane told The Times he has witnessed in Afghanistan the same shift in fortunes: Taliban fighters are changing sides, villages are being cleansed of the enemy and protected, and intercepted communications show flagging Taliban morale. "Overall, we can see now that the surge forces are starting to make a difference," he said. "And you have to be encouraged by some of the progress that's being made. All that said, we're in a tough fight, and I believe we will continue to gain momentum." Gen. Keane offered two observations as evidence. First, most commanders with whom he spoke said they are encountering Taliban who want to stop fighting and reintegrate into Afghan society. "That's a big deal," he said. Second, "There's evidence of erosion of some of the will of the Taliban. We pick it up in interrogations, and we also pick it up listening to their radio traffic and telephone calls in terms of the morale problems they're starting to have," Gen. Keane said. A military officer in the U.S. who monitors the war confirmed that Taliban radio chatter sounds a bit frantic. "The Taliban are not anxious to engage us, because we come after them once they start shooting at us," the officer told The Times on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. "One of the translations I saw came out as 'Marines are insane.' So, maybe that means that little by little things are getting better." Gen. Keane said the drop in Taliban morale can be traced to soldiers and Marines going after hillside hamlets and safe havens. The Taliban has thrived in such areas, where they regroup, plan raids and store ammunition. "What is happening is, the Taliban's freedom of movement," he said. "We are literally taking away from them things they are used to. We are denying them some of the safe havens that they have in the south. We are denying them the support zones they've been operating out of with impunity.
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| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #23 Gorb: I was thinking more along the lines of this. I thought about it. But explosives weren't involved .... |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-10-13 23:00 |
| #22 I believe the term 'Going Rhodesian' has been used in A'stan. It's what I would do. |
| Posted by: Rhodesiafever 2010-10-13 20:04 |
| #21 I'd like to see a concerted effort to destroy Opium production as it is used to finance our enemies. I'd also like to see a US Government plan to try to get Hollywood and the drug using set to boycott foreign drugs because of what is happening in Mexico and a few other places. Such a boycott won't happen in actuality amung the Hollywood type but they might say so publicly and influence a lot of drug-addled college students to smoke domestic pot when possible. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-10-13 15:51 |
| #20 Mullah Richard, a similar thing happened during the initial invasion of Somalia. Warriors hid their guns in the Marine sectors because the Marines had ROE to shoot if a weapon was pointed in their direction while the Army ROE required them to be shot at before returning fire. Unfortunately buried guns were dug up again when the Marines left. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-10-13 15:48 |
| #19 Gorb: I was thinking more along the lines of this. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-10-13 15:41 |
| #18 Afghan Surge Working, Taliban Realize "Marines are crazy!" Yup, Crazy like a Fox. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-10-13 14:36 |
| #17 And then, once upon a time there was....Operation Pegasus. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-10-13 11:51 |
| #16 According to our family 'source', the Iraq army and Republican Guards typically hid while the Marines moved through southern Iraq during the beginning of the invasion. They did attack if they felt they had a strong defensible position, however - didn't work out too well though. They had no qualms about attacking the Army units that followed, however. Not saying anything bad about our Army, just that the Marines have a reputation that precedes them. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2010-10-13 11:38 |
| #15 Not insane. Trained to attack into the ambush, which may look insane, but isn't. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-10-13 11:18 |
| #14 Obama has absolutely no desire or intention to Win in Afghanistan. In fact, he'd rather have a withdrawl that diminishes the US military and national pride. That way we he can rebuild both in his own image. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-10-13 11:08 |
| #13 From page 3 of the article: Robert Maginnis, a military analyst and Army consultant, said "big problems" exist. Mr. Obama's 2009 Afghan strategy put new emphasis on Pakistan-U.S. cooperation in defeating the Taliban. Yet, elements of Islamabad's intelligence service are still helping the Taliban, according to a London School of Economics study. "Pakistan is not helping our efforts, and Obama made Islamabad a major part of the solution," he said. "Part of the problem with Pakistan is the major distraction created by the floods, but also because the civilian government is utterly incompetent." Mr. Maginnis also said that if Mr. Obama insists on the July 2011 deadline, it will result in the Taliban simply returning from Pakistan to retake villages and cities. "We may spend more blood and treasure in the counterinsurgency, but next summer there will be little to show for the investment other than a few population centers enjoying some security but little governance and an economy," he said. The article is helping shaping the political battlefield in Washington, and the Washington Times knows which side they're on. The message that is being repeated is, "Yeah, President Obama committed to leaving in 2011, but if he does he'll turn the win into a loss... and then we'll have to go back and do it all again. Not like George W -- he won his war in Iraq." |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-10-13 10:55 |
| #12 Obama will begin a troop reduction in 2011 as he has indicated. He needs it for his re-election. He will link the Afgan pull-out to that of Iraq, for which he is already taking credit. It will be an election issue. If he loses the election, someone else inherits the mess. If he wins in 2012, he is free to continue a complete pull-out and harvest the piece dividends for his social justice programs. Afghanistan is a win-win for Obama and the dems. Strange logic, but he has positioned himself and his party to take full advantage of another crisis. This is all about politics... not about terrorism. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-10-13 10:38 |
| #11 This mouse must be a Marine: |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-10-13 10:21 |
| #10 How long will it continue? My guess, and only a guess. If the insurgent "Spring offensive" can be dampened, I would say that the outcome will largely depend on what happens in November and in November 2012. If the insurgency thinks that the Americans are going to cut and run, if the Afghans think that the Americans are going to cut and run letting them at the mercy of the Taliban so they have to do something to congratiate them (like helping them) then we are in for a lot of trouble. If they think we aren't leaving anyway soon then the insurgency will crumble. |
| Posted by: JFM 2010-10-13 10:21 |
| #9 Marines are as crazy as an asymetrically man boobed, 9 inch penis having triple headed cyclops that want to come over and decorate |
| Posted by: Private Eye 2010-10-13 10:08 |
| #8 Gotta love the Marines. Outstanding fighting force with good leadership. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-10-13 10:07 |
| #7 I think there is a country song about this? God is great, beer is good, and |
| Posted by: No I am The Other Beldar 2010-10-13 09:59 |
| #6 bwhahaha, not a bug but a feature...we don't suffer from insanity, we enjoy every blessed moment. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2010-10-13 09:22 |
| #5 Afghan Surge Working ISAF forces, Americans and ANZACS in particular, through constant presence patrolling, are pushing the enemy around the battle space. Forcing him to take up arms, to engage and be killed, or move to and from border sancuaries in Pakistan where he is targeted by Preds. Labeled an "insurgency" fight, think of it as a giant police beat and investigatory effort similar to that found in high crime, drug infested areas such as LA, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago. An effort inhibited by a complex ROE that constantly changes depending upon the mission. Further complicating matters is the lack ISAF ability, in many cases, to permanently remove bad guys from the fight, ie, capture and ship off as a traditional POW and place behind bars. All of this thanks to the closure of GITMO or other detention facilities. Detentions permit questioning, geneology, biometric gathering, ie, photopgraphs, fingerprints, possible attempts at agent recruitment, then release. All in all very bad on ISAF morale, watching these buggers being released to fight again or facilitate deadly roadside bombing. Also NOT working well at all is the training and deployment of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP). Some successes with 'partnered patrols' and commando units, but by in large a dismal failure. How long will it continue? My guess, and only a guess. If the insurgent "Spring offensive" can be dampened, next summer possibly, then politics will take hold and the game will begin to change. Regardless of the intensified effort, none of this effort points to a quick victory but rather a stage setting for negociation and departure per the established 2011 schedule. Don't look for General Patreaus to still be around by then. A new "Paris Peace Accord" style team will have arrived and he'll be a spring political casualty. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-10-13 09:21 |
| #4 "Marines are crazy!" The difference between 'primitive' and modern/industrial warfare. The West developed war as something distinct from what had been practiced throughout the world for most of history. To those practicing primitive warfare it functions just as much as a social element within that society. To those practicing industrial warfare, it is simply a means to an end without the social implications of the primitive. It devolves or evolves into simply a killing machine. It's not about pecking order or territory. It's not about show. It's just about killing as efficiently and effectively as you can. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-10-13 08:30 |
| #3 During the Algeria war an enterprising French officer smuggled grenades to the FLN who exploded when user removed the safety pin and before they were thrown. BTW, this officer is/was a former SAS and founding member of an association whose goal is to honor the members of the 101th Airborne who fought in WWII. |
| Posted by: JFM 2010-10-13 08:27 |
| #2 Oderint dum metuant. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2010-10-13 07:51 |
| #1 'Marines are insane.' Bwahahaha! Given the source, that sounds like the highest compliment one could expect. At many levels .... That's how it's done. A bit here, a bit there. Take what you can. Find out where they take comfort and get supplies. Ambush them there secretly as much as you can. Let them figure things out the hard way. Mess with their families' minds. Sneak some pop-no-fire bullets into their supply lines. Make them worry about losing half their face or their hand each time they fire their weapons. Keep them from sneaking back into Pakistain this winter. Start now. Tattoo pigs on captured Taliban prisoners foreheads. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-10-13 05:45 |