Posted on 08/17/2012 1:42:30 PM PDT by Timber Rattler
The uptick in attacks by Afghan security forces against coalition troops has hit home, with all troops at NATO headquarters and all bases across Afghanistan now ordered to carry loaded weapons around the clock, CNN learned Friday.
Gen. John Allen, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, ordered the move, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the orders. The order, made in recent days, was divulged amid two more so-called green-on-blue or insider attacks Friday.
An Afghan police officer opened fire on U.S. troops in Farah province in southwestern Afghanistan, killing two service members, the NATO-led command said. Two International Security Assistance Force troops and an Afghan service member was wounded by another Afghan service member in Kandahar province, in the south.
The order comes as coalition forces adopt and study measures aimed at thwarting such attacks.
In Afghan combat situations, all troops are armed. But at other locations, only base security forces had been regularly armed. Those troops have been called into action when insurgents have launched attacks on the base.
(Excerpt) Read more at security.blogs.cnn.com ...
They must be getting desperate about Obama’s re-election chances if they’re actually letting our troops in Afghanistan defend themselves.
Reported by: “Barbara Starr, Masoud Popalzai, and Chelsea Carter.” Chelsea Carter? Is she a cousin of Chelsea Clinton, by any chance? Maybe a granddaughter of Jimmy?
Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't that be default? I mean "unarmed troops" just never made any damned sense to me at all.
Translation: “Ordered” is newspeak for “Allowed.”
I remember well when our SpecOps guys had Omar's SUV in their sights as he was fleeing Kandahar in November 2001, but Defense Department lawyers ordered them via satellite to hold their fire because he was technically a "head of state."
Yet another stupid decision that is biting us on the arse.
It’s about damn time...
Why are we there ?
The news story needs some clarification.
I am not specifically aware of the Army status of weapons but for Marines in Afghanistan:
All Marines are always armed with either a sidearm or rifle, typically an M4 or M16 although a Mossberg 12 gauge is also issued to each rifle squad.
Conditions 1 through 4 apply to weapons, not Marines.
Four weapons conditions:
Condition 4- Weapon on safe, bolt home on an empty chamber, no magazine inserted, ejection port cover closed.
Condition 3- Weapon on safe, bolt home on an empty chamber, magazine inserted, ejection port cover closed.
Condition 2- DOES NOT APPLY
Condition 1- Weapon on safe, round in chamber, bolt home, magazine inserted, ejection port cover closed.
Condition 4 is the general order inside the wire. However, Marines have been generally observing Condition 3 for about the last two years without challenge.
Walking patrols and dismounts are always Condition 1. Mounted Marines (in vehicles) usually go to Condition 3 on order from the squad or platoon leader.
Marines have been observing this “new” order out of common sense for some time.
BTW, there will be no more civilian interaction with Marines with out an armed overwatch present.
Why didnt those troops being fired on, just wait for the MPs to arrive and take care of it??? (that is what they want civilians to do)
It took the election cycle for the POS CIC to figure out that unarmed soldiers = victims. Gawd, how I loathe that jug-eared scumbag parasite.
This was taken at Zero's coronation. Ugly as sin on Sunday, isn't she? And she roped a kid into it. So where have all the Code Pinkos been for four years? 5-8 years ago they were as thick as fleas on a fat dog. What? They were cynically using our fighting men for political gain? ....... So if they start coming out from under rocks what should we think? Yeah, that's right: Obama must have lost. Lefty vampires.
Thanks for the update. I have to hand it to the Taliban - they do have some awfully highly-motivated individuals on their team. One way to deter incidents like this would be to demolish, Israeli-style, the home belonging to the family of the perp (on a case-by-case basis, of course).
Thanks gandalftb.
The green-on-blue incidents are occurring where afghan police and ANA are being trained by our Army training command and there is a lot of close interaction.
The Marines have taken a different approach by training local indigenous militias in their home villages under the authority of the village or clan elder. There have been minimal incidents because the elders are obeyed absolutely.
Karzai hates this because he can’t control the self-defense militias.
What out NATO command does not fully appreciate is that the Pakhtun will only willingly fight for their own clan or village. If they are conscripted into the ANA and forced to fight other distant Pakhtun they will often turn on us instead.
It is hopeless and our troops will be the punching bags for a failed nation building.
We have trained enough Afghans, why aren’t they training themselves?
So she’s a Code Pinko nut, eh? Why am I not surprised.
Sorry but some punk-assed general in DC needs to grow a pair of balls and point out the BS from this chickensh!t administration, or is it chickensh!t leaders in the military?
I get so confused and can't tell the difference
And just so you out there in the world think my comments are from a point of view, sitting at home.
I am in Kabul, and have been for 22 months (this time), I retired from the mil 16 years ago, and I get to work with the real hero's of America, every day.
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