Combat Outpost Penetrated in Afghanistan, 9 dead

[Rank amateur]

The Taliban can visit at any time, slice a throat or two, bash in a kid's head and leave.

My understanding of COIN 101 is that as long as that's allowed to continue, you lose. (I could of course be wrong, but that was one of the basics I thought I understood.)

You owe me answer on my solution to your case study. We need to talk about Case Studies...

Patience my friend: just because I'm younger doesn't mean that I can out think or out type you.

The alternative is to convince the Taliban to stop doing those clandestine visits and committing random acts of terror to keep the population docile. That's the long hard way to do it -- but it's the only acceptable way.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that we both agree - although every time I think that we agree you usually insist that I'm wrong - that the answer is to take away their sanctuary in Pakistan so we can kill them.

[Ken White]

My understanding of COIN 101 is that as long as that's allowed to continue, you lose. (I could of course be wrong, but that was one of the basics I thought I understood.)

There are many who agree with that. Unfortunately, most of them do not have the responsibility to actually do anything about the ability of insurgents worldwide to move among their own population pretty much at will, so yet again COIN 101 meets the reality of the world outside academe.

Patience my friend: just because I'm younger doesn't mean that I can out think or out type you.

Sorry, no intent to rush you; just to needle a teeny bit EVERYBODY can outthink and out type me, my two fingered approach inevitably mean fifty leven errors to correct...

Actually, I'm pretty sure that we both agree - although every time I think that we agree you usually insist that I'm wrong - that the answer is to take away their sanctuary in Pakistan so we can kill them.

We agree more often that not. Generally, my apparent disagreement is designed to get you to think past the desirable (rarely obtained in any war) or the book solution (only a guide and subject to wide variations). Frequently I let things slide -- like we have no Tanks in Afghanistan from above and attempt to rain on only that part of your parade that needs, IMO, a nudge -- that's the arrogance of the aged (or curmudgeon like attitude thereof...).

Having said that, we do agree. We definitely need to take away their sanctuary in Pakistan; that's a key requirement. The question is how to get there without creating more problems than we solve -- and that is really one very knotty and difficult problem. Hopefully, Pakistan will get to work on it -- if they do not, we've been more than patient and we would be reluctant to take unilateral action but too many in the world fail to realize that the worst thing one can do is hack off the Americans; they tend to over react. My sensing is that we are starting to get annoyed...