Posted on 07/10/2011 12:17:06 PM PDT by george76
A widow revealed how her soldier husband was blown up in Afghanistan days after senior officers had apparently ‘laughed off’ his complaints that insurgents were being allowed to plant explosive devices unchallenged.
Sergeant Peter Rayner, 34, phoned his wife in a ‘highly stressed’ state four days before his death and was upset that his fears were not taken seriously.
She said he and his men had watched the enemy, using night-vision goggles, plant improvised explosive devices and were not allowed to attack them. He was allegedly told by one officer: ‘I am an Army Captain and you will do your job.’
...
Sergeant Rayner’s widow Wendy told an inquest in Bradford that the Army had promised that her concerns would be dealt with, but she said: ‘I have been fobbed off.’
Mrs Rayner told Bradford Coroner's Court her husband, who joined the Army at 17, had feared his own death. She said: ‘He was concerned about the number of explosive devices being planted in the area they were patrolling and had told higher ranks because he feared one of them would be killed.
‘He said they could see people planting these devices but could do nothing about it.
Sergeant Rayner told his wife that officers told him that he and his men could not open fire on insurgents planting bombs or make contact with them. His complaints were rejected by a Sergeant Major and a Captain, the inquest heard.
‘I think that if more notice had been taken of him, then he might not have died,’ she said. ‘Peter loved his men and would have done anything to stop them being killed.’
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Soldier killed after Army bosses barred him from opening fire on Taliban insurgents planting roadside bombs
Sickening.
Guess we never learned the Vietnam lesson - if you are not going to fight or allow your soldiers to take it to the enemy full blast, then pack up and get the hell out of there.
Nore blood on Obama’s hands.
These are the rules of engagment started under mcChrystal and continued and are absolute BS
this from the UK article should make everyone angry enough to call their congresspeople and say Get the Home.All of them,even the brave Brits like this one killed for sheer stupidity.
“A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘The whole point of a counter insurgency operation is to protect the civilian population.’ He said soldiers had to go through a series of stages before opening fire and were sometimes asked to exercise ‘courageous restraint’ even when shots had been fired.
‘It is all about winning hearts and minds and using the least force possible,’ the spokesman said.
Stupid arse ROE’s are liuterally killing our soldiers.
Hell, with this type crap, we’d be better off sending in the blue helmets and their ammo-less or rubber-bullet guns.... =.=
To them, it's
Submit or DIE!
Muck Fislam!
Winning hearts and minds with restraint only works when the civilian population values restraint. Arabs and Afghans do not value restraint, they value force. Consequently, Arabs and Afghans see our “restraint” as weakness.
We have to play by their rules. Not Obama’s who is on their side. He is trying to get America caught up in the death by a thousand cuts, economically, militarily , politically, morally....
2012 is still a long ways away!!!
and yet that remains the ROE in Afghanistan
protect the civilian population as they plant IEDs
I couldn’t belive it when McChrystal said it back in 09 and I can’t believe it today
I am sorry the brits are foced to go along with it
Somebody needs to send that young widow a copy of Freddy Forsythe's 2000 collection of short stories, The Veteran. With but a single reading she'll know why it came her way, and That Which Next Needs to be Done.
But no matter. Her late husband's mates have already read the book, and they know what to do and, of course, how it's done.
Officers who do this to their men would be wise to sleep with one eye open if Vietnam is any indicator.
My uncle who flew a ton of missions in the pacific in WW2, after seeing what is going on today both in the field and in DC, made a comment that made me really take notice. He said: you know, I am beginning to think I was shooting at the wrong enemy as I cannot believe what is going on now here.
That is one sorry state of affairs in my book.
Did anyone notice this was the Brits?
Some one had blunder’d:
Their’s not to make reply,
Their’s not to reason why,
Their’s but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death...
To even dream of winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan is insane’ These people do not want us there, there isn’t enough money or good will in the world to make these people like us. Get the heck out of there, We have good men dying for no reason, and if they aren’t dying they are getting their hands and legs blown off.
There is but one way to fight a war and that is all out.
Kill them down until they lose their will to fight. Anything else is suicide.
“‘It is all about winning hearts and minds and using the least force possible,’ the spokesman said. “
Just wondering where are the facts, supporting this ever, ever working?
Seems to be facts argue for surges (more force) not hearts and minds (less force).
“‘It is all about winning hearts and minds and using the least force possible,’ the spokesman said. “
Just wondering where are the facts, supporting this ever, ever working?
Seems to be facts argue for surges (more force) not hearts and minds (less force).
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