Article

2009-02-16 Afghanistan

West risks repeating Soviet mistakes in Afghanistan

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-02-16 02:40|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 Obviously the US practice of sending pilots in planes loaded with ordnance which then fly over wedding parties and any other civilian activities they can find just to bomb them has to cease immediately.

Oh wait...

That's not what happens, does it? Intel flows to command, command plans bombing raids, bad guys and whomever is also there get bombed.

There's no question the Soviets engaged in similar practices although they were less impressed with charges of civilian deaths than NATO is currently.

If Afghanis want to reduce errors in bombing, perhaps they should insist the the bad guys' side stop putting civilians at risk. Whether or not the Washington Post wishes to acknowledge it, bombing raids involve at least two components, targets and bombers, and when the target place civilians at risk it is the target's problem, not the bombers.

This is the most salient fact about the story Washington Post wants to ignore. That omission makes this a spurious story at best.

Posted by badanov 2009-02-16 07:25|| http://www.freefirezone.org]">[http://www.freefirezone.org] 2009-02-16 07:25|| Front Page Top

#2 from what i have seen of the Afghanis they are never happy with what they have been given and will bitch and whine until further welfare and payoffs are wanted and payed over and over again

Posted by rabid whitetail 2009-02-16 10:19|| 2009-02-16 10:19|| Front Page Top

#3 I don't think Russians ever deluded themselves that Afghans can become civilized (neither did Alexander)

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-02-16 11:00|| 2009-02-16 11:00|| Front Page Top

#4 It's not deluded to think they can become civilized, it's deluded to think they can become civilized in less than a generation or on someone elses dime.

Posted by Mike N. 2009-02-16 12:12|| 2009-02-16 12:12|| Front Page Top

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