Quote Originally Posted by Rank amateur View Post
Could you please explain. Isn`t a blocking force one of the simplest and most basic ways to deploy troops.
...I've been busy for a couple of days.

To answer your question, yes, in theory a blocking force is easy to deploy, but in practice I'll quote Ken: METT-TC applies. That blocking force has to be adequate to the task, able to deploy and operate along a stretch of 10k+feet series of peaks and saddles, in wintertime, with adequate supply and support. Assuming all that is available, there is the opportunity cost and risk which must be weighed against other missions for all the assets involved. Maybe the Rangers that were at Bagram could have done it (which was the only force available in a timely matter, IMO), but I don't know.

And even if the decisions had been different and the Rangers were in put in place, there's still no guarantee they would have got UBL.