Article

2010-08-29 Afghanistan

Special Forces Step Up the Fight Against Taliban

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Crimp Angoper1229 2010-08-29 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top

#1 Oh yeah! This is the low-cost way to get it done. Kill the troublemakers who organize the resistance. Kill their bagmen, bomb makers and suppliers. Sow suspicion amongst the leadership and confusion amongst the foot soldiers.

Often I like what Obama does regarding fighting when it comes to special ops and drones. Were it me, I would prefer to take it to Pakistan way more. Yeah, they have nukes, but they don't dare use them, and I think if the government were protected, they would be OK with it. The folks at the ISI would be high on the list of people who don't need to be in a position to cause any more problems for anybody. Even higher than the Taliban in many cases.

Diplomats are concerned that the elimination of the Taliban hierarchy could conflict with the declared goal of reintegrating some members of these groups.

Lawyers and diplomats have no place in this war. Nobody is playing fair on their side, so I'd say it's time to take off the handcuffs and gloves.

1) Beat all the Taliban they can find and their supporters to a bloody lifeless pulp. Play only as nice as they are willing to play. No nicer.

2) Demoralize them until the rest want to commit suicide or walk away from their effed up cause. Citizens should be willing to drop their belongings and scatter when the Taliban roll into town, and not have their kids wandering the streets amongst them to be used as human shields. Blind any known Talib seen to be carrying a gun with lasers. When they go running to momma, find out who momma is and make sure they can't support more Taliban.

3) Accept nothing less than an unconditional surrender. Then tell them what they need to do and what changes they will have to make so we won't have to go back at them tomorrow. Be fair but firm. They change or die. Find out who the dead-enders are and have their necks in a noose ASAP.

Posted by gorb 2010-08-29 00:39|| 2010-08-29 00:39|| Front Page Top

#2 @gorb Easily the BEST post I've seen in some time.

Why is it so hard for our military to understand this?

Posted by Mike Hunt 2010-08-29 02:27|| 2010-08-29 02:27|| Front Page Top

#3 Karzai remains critical of the strategy, therefore it is indeed the right course of aciton.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-08-29 06:47|| 2010-08-29 06:47|| Front Page Top

#4 There really is only one strategy. A. You employ the Khan option and slay everyone. Or B. you inflict unending pain by conducting network targeting. Negociation is folly. They will simply wait you out. I personally lean towards a combination of both A+B, but that is just me.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-08-29 07:05|| 2010-08-29 07:05|| Front Page Top

#5 FWIW: The SOCOM Strategy comes compliments of Donald Rumsfeld. I think the strategy firmed up in 2003 and became a directive in 2004.

I give a point or two to Obama for staying out of the way and letting the warfighters fght the war. After that- what gorb said sounds good.

Posted by Free Radical 2010-08-29 07:33|| 2010-08-29 07:33|| Front Page Top

#6 Terrorist have to eat. Kill the money guys backing them.

BTW, I think that nighttime attacks and drone strikes by SO has been ratcheted up for quite a while. No terrorist now wants to take a middle management job and the leadership fears that the guy standing next to them is a rat.

What a great strategy.

Posted by Mike Ramsey 2010-08-29 09:47|| 2010-08-29 09:47|| Front Page Top

#7 The only thing I would add to gorb's list is to carry the fight into Pakistan if it is not being done already.

Posted by JohnQC 2010-08-29 10:43|| 2010-08-29 10:43|| Front Page Top

#8 Cut off funding to the Pak Army would help!

Posted by Paul D 2010-08-29 10:49|| 2010-08-29 10:49|| Front Page Top

#9 Thy did it in Vietnam with the Phoenix program. Very effective. But then, of course, the Post got ahold of it, the hand wringers got all weepy, and that was the end of that.
As far as the Caped Crusader, he's lucky he's not on the list....

Posted by tu3031 2010-08-29 12:39|| 2010-08-29 12:39|| Front Page Top

#10 Weren't Obama and his ilk the ones complaining that killing Jihadis was like hacking heads off a hydra just a few years ago? No wonder they're keeping so quiet about the total volte face.

Posted by Bulldog 2010-08-29 15:03|| 2010-08-29 15:03|| Front Page Top

#11 How about Roman option, visitor?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2010-08-29 17:08|| 2010-08-29 17:08|| Front Page Top

#12 "Why is it so hard for our military to understand this?"

I don't think it is hard for the military to understand.

The so-called "leadership," on the other hand,....

Posted by Barbara Skolaut 2010-08-29 18:05|| 2010-08-29 18:05|| Front Page Top

23:48 Mike Ramsey
23:39 Mike Ramsey
23:02 Frank G
23:00 Paul D
22:58 Frank G
22:48 badanov
22:37 KBK
22:33 Procopius2k
22:25 KBK
22:22 Barbara Skolaut
22:05 Rhodesiafever
21:58 JosephMendiola
21:55 badanov
21:53 Secret Asian Man
21:51 JosephMendiola
21:51 Pappy
21:50 anon1
21:41 Steve White
21:40 JosephMendiola
21:37 anon1
21:36 abu do you love
21:32 anon1
21:32 tu3031
21:30 anon1