Posted on 02/15/2010 7:22:53 AM PST by smokingfrog
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Sniper teams attacked U.S. Marines and Afghan troops across the Taliban haven of Marjah, as several gun battles erupted Monday on the third day of a major offensive to seize the extremists' southern heartland.
Multiple firefights in different locations taxed the ability of coalition forces to provide enough air support as NATO forces forged deeper into the town, moving through suspected insurgent neighborhoods, the U.S. Marines said.
In northern Marjah, an armored column came under fire from at least three separate sniper teams, slowing its progress. One of the teams came within 155 feet and started firing.
-- snip --
Marines said their ability to fight back has been tightly constrained by strict new rules of engagement that make their job more difficult and dangerous. Under the rules, troops cannot fire at people unless they commit a hostile act or show hostile intent.
"I understand the reason behind it, but it's so hard to fight a war like this," said Lance Corp. Travis Anderson, 20, from Altoona, Iowa. "They're using our rules of engagement against us," he said, stating that his platoon had repeatedly seen men dropping their guns into ditches before walking away to melt among civilians.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Upgraded smupgraded - all talk and no money. There’s no will to will in the Hussein regime, only to lose - any conflict with Iran will be designed by the civis to be lost. Gates is a yes man and a loser.
Every black cloud seems to have a silver lining. Sometime one just has to look harder to see it.
Marines said their ability to fight back has been tightly constrained by strict new rules of engagement that make their job more difficult and dangerous. Under the rules, troops cannot fire at people unless they commit a hostile act or show hostile intent.So, turn off the cameras. The lying criminals who support the Taliban, or are IN the Taliban, are going to make accusations regardless of what is done.
Great post. paraphrasing McArthur, “Anything less than total warfare is immoral.”
Well.....we - as a committed nation - are either at war, or we're not.
If we are...then why are we not fully engaged and using every bit of power we possess?
And, if we're not, let's stop waisting the oh so precious American blood in these 10th century religious "animal farms" and bring the troops home - NOW!
This makes me wish I was a mercenary without ROE.
Give me the the intel, the transport and the target.
Thank you God.
What is your fee for services rendered?
Well I tell you what, I hope it “might” happen that there may be some sort of group out there without any ROE that restricts, hampers or in any way to restrict mission success.
Maybe there is, maybe its not possible,maybe its best left unsaid but just in case I hear there was 10 or 20 years from now I’ll be satisfied that someone dared to work around the problem.
If it is, I’m proud to support them.
Now, philanthropists may easily imagine there is a skillful method of disarming and overcoming an enemy without great bloodshed, and that this is the proper tendency of the Art of War. However plausible this may appear, still it is an error which must be extirpated; for in such dangerous things as War, the errors which proceed from a spirit of benevolence are the worst.
“A little carpet bombing here and there would sure get the terrorist’s attention, wouldn’t it?
“
It is not carpet bombing that gets their attention half as much as Mr. JDAMS. A B-52 can carry scores of JDAMS — and they can hit a pickup truck-sized target every time. The way we defeated the Taliban in 2001 was to use the BUFFs as aerial artillery dropping one smart bomb at a time, guided to the target by a Special Forces operative on the ground. This was even more devastating than carpet bombing because it was one target - one bomb. That gets to be very demoralizing when you are shooting at Americans and then out of nowhere (and without warning) a 2000-pound bomb explodes on your position.
The British Empire certainly found this out when they lost to those rotten upstart Colony insurgents.
The only reason the Brits didn't declare full out war, was that the colonies were not a country.....and that fact that the Brits owned the colonies.
I cannot and will not support you in the spending of American blood on "insurgents".....
Either delcare war....or get the hell out.
I hate to break this news to you: Your opinion is only an opinion.
And don't I know it!!! Besides, most of my opinions suck!
Ah well, at least my spleen is empty for now!!!
The Commander in Chief has set ROEs that are getting troops killed. Dereliction of duty. Impeach him.
Posting on FR is a cathartic adventure ;-0
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