Article

2008-05-16 Afghanistan

Marines battle Taliban in Helmand province

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Posted by Fred 2008-05-16 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top
File under: Taliban

#1 the Taliban are pulling in their own reinforcements from other districts, perhaps other volatile southern provinces, maybe inadvertently easing the threat in places such as Kandahar

A key point, although the word inadvertently strikes a false note, given what I know about the U.S. Marines.

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-05-16 07:39|| 2008-05-16 07:39|| Front Page Top

#2 "We are defeating the enemy when they oppose us and, when they reinforce, we're defeating them as well."

Up yoursTurban Boyz!

Posted by DepotGuy 2008-05-16 09:00|| 2008-05-16 09:00|| Front Page Top

#3 for arms and fighters crossing over the border from Pakistan

Oue enemy is Pakistan backed like it or not Mr Bush!!!!!

Posted by Paul 2008-05-16 10:12|| 2008-05-16 10:12|| Front Page Top

#4
The U.S. Marines, 2,400 strong and many of them battle-hardened from combat in Iraq, were recently parachuted in....

Parachuted in? Huh?

Posted by Matt 2008-05-16 10:30|| 2008-05-16 10:30|| Front Page Top

#5 I think the Marines will clean house, but we still have a problem of having about two brigades too few of them. I hope Congress will continue to fund and support the additional troops it authorized in the last session - we need 'em.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-05-16 11:06|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-05-16 11:06|| Front Page Top

#6 Oue enemy is Pakistan backed like it or not Mr Bush!!!!!

Mr. Bush is quite aware of that fact, Paul. He's also aware that there are advantages to pretending that the central government in Pakistan is NOT on the side of the Taliban. For one thing, that gives him room to maneuver a little there. Musharif isn't a very reliable ally - even worse than Duncan Brown or some on the Continent, for instance. But Bush managed to strongarm him into allowing us to do the occasional interdiction / UAV strike across the border from Afghanistan, which would NOT have gone unprotested if others had been in power there.

More importantly, the over-land supply lines through Pakistan have been an important logistical support to our activities in Afghanistan. Don't underestimate what has been achieved WRT Pakistan since 2001. We'll miss it greatly if (probably when) it crumbles.

Posted by lotp 2008-05-16 11:23|| 2008-05-16 11:23|| Front Page Top

#7 Similar can be said of Saudi Arabia.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-05-16 11:29|| 2008-05-16 11:29|| Front Page Top

#8 yup, NS.

War makes for complex alliances, dont it? Hard to be pure.

Posted by liberalhawk 2008-05-16 12:01|| 2008-05-16 12:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Oue enemy is Pakistan backed like it or not Mr Bush!!!!!

Y'know, if we formed a Brigade of armchair-generals...

Posted by Pappy 2008-05-16 12:24|| 2008-05-16 12:24|| Front Page Top

#10 Reminder: non-uniformed combatants aren't covered by the Geneva Convention. Summary execution would be legal.

I wonder if specialty troops are capable of simple forensics? A finding of gunpowder residue on a turbaned Pashto would do it for me. But a wallet photo of bin Laden would really cap it.

Posted by Galactic Coordinator Sleting2341 2008-05-16 13:53|| 2008-05-16 13:53|| Front Page Top

#11 Gordon Brown? (Not Duncan)
Not that it matters, he'll soon be gone.
Question is, will his successor be any better?
Probably not.

Posted by Peter Carroll 2008-05-16 14:17|| 2008-05-16 14:17|| Front Page Top

#12 I wonder if specialty troops are capable of simple forensics? A finding of gunpowder residue on a turbaned Pashto would do it for me.

Simpler solution, do as the ruskies did in chechnya v.2, and check fighting-age males for a shoulder bruise due to repeated firing with a rifle, IIRC.

Posted by anonymous5089 2008-05-16 15:12|| 2008-05-16 15:12|| Front Page Top

#13 Gordon Brown? (Not Duncan)

umm ... yeah. Sorry - been dealing with a Duncan Brown on a different matter lately.

Posted by lotp 2008-05-16 19:44|| 2008-05-16 19:44|| Front Page Top

#14 Bush may be pulliing an ace out ofhis ass . BY maybe telling the pakis to start a scuffle so they have too meve their fighters and weapons alot more over rugged terrain

Posted by sinse 2008-05-16 19:55|| 2008-05-16 19:55|| Front Page Top

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