Most of your concerns for what goes on in Afghanistan
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Originally Posted by
JMA
...Not rocket science if you have the resources, (manpower and funding).
are known and shared by the troops that are there and have been there. Unfortunately, they are severely constrained by Politicians and policy makers on those two major issues you cite as well as on the rules they must follow. That and the very significant terrain difference which you also tend to ignore lead to some odd conclusions on your part. For example:
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I often wonder what the ratio of kills between the two sides is? I know it has to be poor when it is classified.
What's classified? I get several e-mails a day from a US DoD automated system that gives me the daily casualty reports. Anyone in the US can sign up for it, don't know about overseas. While the opponents have an obvious desire and need to conceal their losses and while truly accurate data on those losses is difficult to obtain, the news media have numerous tales, some specious but a thread is detectable -- they get pounded pretty heavily in most contacts.
Then there are these: LINK. LINK,and you can sort through these LINKS. It might aid the discussion if you were to do your own research and avoid asking leading questions in what appear to generally be an attempt to imply malfeasance or worse on the part of westerners in Afghanistan. If you believe 'we' shouldn't be there, then you and I can agree -- unfortunately, 'we' are there. That's reality. So is the fact that the combat effort there is severely constrained on political grounds. I don't agree with that either but it is not going to change.
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So yes under these circumstances better to withdraw from the area.
Sometimes can sometimes not for both tactical and political reasons.
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Where is the vital ground (VG)? Which is the ground of tactical importance (GTI)? Question answered.
Is it the right question? Given the lack of adequate troop strength, given the nature of the conflict and given the terrain involved, I think not. I agree with your contention that the basics are very important -- but that's a little too basic...
There's more to it than terrain
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Oh yes... and get rid of the poppies... all of the poppies!
Far easier said than done.
Nope. Right guy. Hard to miss...
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Originally Posted by
JMA
I ignore terrain? You got the wrong guy Ken.
Not at all. You consistently go on about 'open ground.' What you say makes sense at platoon level in a location with mixed vegetation. It cannot apply in Afghanistan on the operational level due to the vast stretches of open terrain that must be used or crossed to get from one place to another.
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...In other words continuity.
All true -- also not possible as you couch it for a variety of reasons, mostly UK/US/Other western nation domestic political.
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It is the Taliban casualties that I talking about. What I'm saying is if this ratio ISAF KIA / Taliban KIA were in any way reasonable it would be released.
How can it be released if it is not known. Estimates could be released but the forces are leery of releasing an estimate that some media source disproves or challenges in a war that is essentially and effectively a media or information war. You also appear to discount the US' bad experience with the Viet Nam body count. The number killed actually proves little in any event.
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I believe that we can safely say that the facts are just too bad to be made public.
Unsurprising. You have a number of strange 'beliefs.' Other disagree. You also make use of 'we' a great bit. Not a good idea to include others in arguable comments because as a reader on this board, I become a a part of that 'we' and I think that's a very specious statement. So 'we' cannot say that at all.
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War is never easy, but may become impossible to conduct under a certain level of political restraints. When that point is reached the lives of soldiers are being meaninglessly squandered.
Brilliant statement!!! Great insight. We can all agree with that. I strongly doubt anyone on this board disagrees with that. Umm, good. Now, what do you propose we do about it?
You might also recall that a number of folks here agree with that but are still serving and have no choice but to go to the squandering in Afghanistan, that they do so without complaint and wonder why you -- who have not gone and are not going -- continually carp and complain to no effect about things neither they or you can change. Most of your complaints, some of which are valid, are with the political direction of this war. Few of those directing it will read anything here and the likelihood of any that do paying you much mind is quite slim. So all you often do is penalize others on the board and wrongly charge them with malfeasance or incompetence all too often. Thus, if your intent is to be a gadfly in the principal definition of the term, you're succeeding.
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...You yourself have commented on a photo where the most basic tactics are appalling. This more widespread than one would like to admit.
Huh. Sure. I commented on it and have repeatedly done so, yet one doesn't like to admit it? Your statement contradicts itself, a not unheard of phenomenon. :rolleyes:
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As far as the poppies are concerned I find it quite frankly hilarious that the US is arguing to allow the locals to grow a crop which when processed will kill many thousands of western kids. Actually its not hilarious, its damn sad.
What is hilarious is your continuing mis or disinformation. The basic problem is that we could easily eradicate the poppies but that leaves more farmers without a viable crop and the environmental impact would be long lasting. There is on going discussion here about the policy, many here are as unhappy as you and the DEA who were scuffing up big dealers and labs is still pressing on. Policy is in flux; this a a US domestic political battle between left and right. The US is a center right nation, the current Administration is center left. Things change, we'll see how long the 'allow the farmers to grow Poppies' bit lasts.
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You need to give these relics from the stone age the message that by growing this you are killing our children. If you attempt to carry on you will see what you will see... (no one has the balls to deal with that have they?)
Uh, no, no one apparently does in this day and age -- except for random marginally informed posters on discussion boards who have seem to have a collection of gripes and sour grapes but no responsibility for actually doing anything.