Article

2009-08-14 Afghanistan

"In war people die; that is why it is called war." Taliban like new ROE

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-08-14 12:12|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top
File under: Taliban

#1 With these ROE's, every mission in Afghanistan is becoming like a hostage rescue, with a difference - the hostage-takers get to resupply or leave at the end of the day, often with the help of volunteer hostages. The surprise here isn't that GI's are taking more casualties, it's that casualties aren't higher than they currently are.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2009-08-14 12:53|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2009-08-14 12:53|| Front Page Top

#2 StrategyPage had an interesting bit about the new rules of engagement. Lots more missiles are being fired, and lots more bad guys being killed, just mostly out in the open where they have nor targets, rather than surrounded in compounds with hostages and video cameras and satellite phones. The interesting thing thought I had about the loudly trumpeted ROEs is that nobody, either there or here, can blame our guys for the deaths of wimmins'n'chilluns'n'fluffy puppies, since everybody knows our guys are so disciplined they even rape and pillage because they were so ordered. In the meantime, the hellfires catch them in their uncounted numbers as they roam between villages they mean to terrorize. I'll see if I can find the link in a moment.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-08-14 13:49|| 2009-08-14 13:49|| Front Page Top

#3 Found it. Link here. The key graf:

There were eight civilian deaths to air strikes (by U.S. and NATO aircraft) last month. In July 2008, there were 89 such deaths. Despite the drop, there were 40 percent more air strikes last month, compared to July 2008. But that was because there were more foreign and Afghan troops out there looking for the enemy (including drug gang operations.) The Taliban are making the most of the new ROE (Rules of Engagement), which basically forbid the use of smart bombs (and most other firepower) if there are civilians about. The Taliban now can use human shields more frequently to avoid a fight, or arrest. But the Taliban can still be hit if caught in the open, and they still are, although another aspect of the new ROE (no public announcements of how many enemy are killed) makes it difficult to track damage being done to the Taliban.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-08-14 13:57|| 2009-08-14 13:57|| Front Page Top

#4 I look at the ROE from the soldiers point of view. Boiled down, it says.

If you can get the bad guyz out in the open--exterminate them. Don't let them run away, and don't take prisoners.

If they make it to a town, or occupied compound, encircle them and wait them out. If they butcher the other occupants, sorry about that. Not our fault.

If you can get them to come to you, by all means do so.

Posted by Anonymoose 2009-08-14 14:20|| 2009-08-14 14:20|| Front Page Top

#5 Problem with that moose is that if they butcher the other occupants - their allies, the MSM, will still blame the soldiers.

Posted by CrazyFool 2009-08-14 17:03|| 2009-08-14 17:03|| Front Page Top

#6 how many of the july 2008 'civilians' were goats that were quickly buried then claimed as a 'son' so that the family could get the $$$ we pay out?

and also, how many of the Civilians' were tits-up Taliban that their buddies carried the incriminating armaments off?

Posted by abu do you love ">abu do you love 2009-08-14 22:39|| 2009-08-14 22:39|| Front Page Top

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