US Soldier captured in Afghanistan
via Fox News...
Quote:
KABUL — Insurgents have captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Thursday. Spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier went missing Tuesday.
"We are using all of our resources to find him and provide for his safe return," Mathias said.
More info at the link...
Is this a first? And what are the prospects of this ending better than similar situations in Iraq?
Threatening Afghan civilians is probably a bad idea
Some of you might have seen this story from CBS yesterday about how the U.S. is delivering threatening leaflets in Afghanistan to coerce the release of the captured American soldier:
Quote:
At least two Afghan villages have been blanketed with leaflets warning that if an American soldier kidnapped by the Taliban two weeks ago isn't freed, "you will be targeted."
Villagers near the border of two volatile provinces, Ghazni and Paktika, tell CBS News' Sami Yousafzai that aircraft dropped the leaflets during the past several days.
Military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed that the leaflets were produced at Bagram Air Base, the primary U.S. installation in Afghanistan, and distributed in the region. She told CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark, however, that they were distributed by hand, not aircraft.
The papers show on one side an image of a soldier with his head bowed so that his face is not visible (above). A message in the local Pashtun language over the image says, "If you do not free the American soldier, then..."
On the other side, an image shows Western troops breaking into a house. The rest of the message is printed across the photo: "...you will be targeted".
The leaflets literally show a soldier kicking in a door, and the significance isn't lost on CBS:
Quote:
While American military and intelligence services have dropped leaflets on Afghanistan for years, most of them have clearly targeted militants -- frequently carrying photos or caricatures of Taliban leaders.
The new leaflet represents a broader, direct warning to local people in the region where the U.S. soldier was seized.
I think this is a clumsy and ham-handed way to go about doing things that ultimately won't work (and will likely do more harm than good). Earlier today, I offered the reasons why I think that. Instead of taking up space re-printing the entire thing here, however, I'm interested to see what everyone else thinks of this technique.
Saw that. Said to myself, 'that is REALLY stupid...'
and moved on. Thought it bad enough that I couldn't bring myself to post it here. Agree it's far more likely to do harm than good.
I'd like to report I'm always shocked :eek: when we do something dumb but I do try to be honest here... :rolleyes: :wry:
David's point is very appropriate; the leaflet sort of makes a mockery of 'knowing the culture.' Hopefully, the PsyOps people and the IO guys were not involved. David was quite polite, calling it "bizarre." True, it is that, however, I'm inclined to stick with my "stupid." :mad:
Let it work it's way out.
Too many knowns. The media needs to shut up and shut down as the did with their yellow journalist NYT captive until he escaped.
We, too, need to be quiet about unknowns.
Let it work it's way out.
I look forward to the resolution of the situation
...and hope it is "positive". I wouldn't presume to declare a discussion closed. But the leaflets represent the tip of an iceberg of effort that I personally haven't seen.
I'm confident enough that I don't know enough to discuss because I have been peripherally involved in similar efforts. Sometimes things don't make sense in isolation - even (or especially) when compared to other knowns. I concur with George re: unknowns.
A path best left untraveled
"It's something COL Steele would've done."
Extremely presumptive on many levels and unnecessary to this discussion.
A path best left untraveled?
Since the capture of the US soldier and some of what has happened since is in the public domain I can see no reason why SWC cannot comment. Yes 'unknowns' exist and we have an abundance of experience and outlooks here; alongside - in reserve - robust moderation when required.
Returning to the leaflet drop are they the "tip of the iceberg" or a sign of desperation? Only those closer in will know; we can comment, OK some may call that speculation.
davidbfpo
That's possible. We don't really know enough to comment intelligently.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kevin23
Even though there is a good likelihood this soldier has been captured...How sure are we that he really has been picked up by the Taliban or other hostiles out there... could be in hiding out there and just afraid to return back to American forces or Coalition forces despite the unlikelihood of that?
All possible. We'll see, it'll all come out eventually. Based on what little we do know, the leaflets seem heavy handed and ill advised but even that is perhaps premature.
First news reports are usually pretty poor; generally best to wait until you get three or four reports, hopefully conflicting, then you can sort them out and make up your mind -- and then you'll have a better chance of being right. Even then it's still a just chance... :wry:
Can you tell me what this is?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Brandon Friedman
... COIN prowess..
I'm always interested in learning new things...
One Brandon Friedman point I do agree with, others maybe not agree with
Quote:
And ABC News has now posted the video. They’re a media organization, so competition presumably dictates that they must post this video if they have it. But I probably wouldn’t have helped the Taliban spread propaganda by posting it if it were up to me.
Mr. Friedman, having been in SW Asia uniquely years ago, lack of widespread public education uninfected by religious mumbo jumbo leaves millions still desperate illiterate and subject to the broadcast media, radio and TV, as their sole source of information.
Hence my push started in April 2008 to improve our use of Voice of America, radio and TV, in conjunction with improved psyops and civil affairs on the ground by our military remains my humble but sharpest focus of how to overcome misinformation which is 50% of our enemy in the war on terrorism. The other 50% of course being the literaly bloody enemy, whose motives and understanding of "why they fight" are what I want VOA, psyops, and civil affiars to address 24/7.
Use Voice of America TV and yes, radio broadcasts
We now need VOA TV and radio broadcasts "advertsing" to return for a reward the kidnapped PFC currently being held hostage.
All broadcasts need to be in the native dialects common on both sides of the Durland Line. Ads offering rewards and quoting the Qu'ran about peace and about helping other "People of the Book", ie, as we are all literally descendants of Abraham [as described both in our Holy Bible and in the Qu'ran] I believe this would work better than leaflets which many native illiterates cannot read, even though they can look at a cheap picture on a leaflet.
We are dealing here with terrorist "rug merchants" treating a soldier as a trading property of value.
Kidnapped, he apparently has been sold by a lower level Taliban outfit to a higher level Taliban outfit who want to now use him as a bargaining chip to gain release of other Taliban prisoners and on the side also want money, ie, to be "paid off."
Taliban alleged remarks for the whole war to stop over one PFC's kidnapping are off the wall and most likely not the result these rug merchants realistically hope for...which is the release of many Taliban prisoners and being literally paid off in money, too.
The less said about this whole fiasco by the media the better as I have said before. Right now the Talaiban are getting millions of dollars worth of free public relations, albeit negative public relations...the old political addage here in the South regarding politicians, which the Taliban are a sort of, is "spell my name in your newspaper correctly no matter what you say about me!"
A "hostage" is not a prisoner of war.
Yes, David, Veterans Day ...
= the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918, when the guns fell silent on the Western Front in the War to End All Wars. Short Wiki.
Best
Mike
Private Bergdahl in video
A short video clip of the prisoner in uniform: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8430431.stm
Surprisingly short summary article; cannot fault the timing for Info Warfare.
Alive but in declining health
NYT story:
Quote:
A video of an American soldier held captive by Afghan insurgents for the past four and a half years is in the possession of the United States government, and officials said Wednesday that it showed the soldier, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, alive but in declining health.
Not much else, although he is alive somewhere.
Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/wo..._20140116&_r=0
The Taliban's only US PoW is exchanged
Quote:
America's only prisoner of war has been freed in Afghanistan after the US agreed to release five Taliban fighters held at Guantnamo Bay. President Barack Obama announced that Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl had been released nearly five years after he was captured near the Pakistani border.
(Later) The five released detainees - Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Noori, Mohammed Nabi, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Abdul Haq Wasiq - were the most senior Afghan fighters held at Guantnamo Bay.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-fighters.html