'New generation' of tech-savvy Taliban fighters

[AdamG]

Once seen as uneducated thugs, the Taliban are producing dangerous new fighters who use the latest digital technology to plan and publicise attacks against NATO and Afghan forces, analysts say.

The militants recently released a video of a June 1 attack on a US military base in the eastern province of Khost, on the border with Pakistan, showcasing far more developed techniques to plan the assault than previously thought.

The footage shows the fighters, in military uniforms, being briefed by their commander using a model and satellite images of the target, Forward Operating Base Salerno.

http://news.yahoo.com/generation-tec...01.html?_esi=1

[Fuchs]

See, that's what I have warned about for years.
This small war turns average people into stupid people.

These videos show that they have real skills and technical knowledge," a Western official told AFP.

Only a decade ago, speaking almost admirably of "real skills and technical knowledge" would have referred to something like an armoured brigade doing sharp manoeuvres over 150 km in a matter of hours, executing near-textbook combined arms attacks without briefing or planning merely on a commander's order by radio.*

Nowadays, looking at a map, loading a truck with explosives and executing a two-stage platoon attack appears to qualify.

I have observed similar stupidity even in regard to air forces (I wasn't able to express my disgust and concern accurately, though).


It appears as if standards and expectations concerning opfor are in free fall.



*: I have occasionally been playing some online games for recreation during the last years, and I can assure you that ad hoc, self-organised gamer teams with guys in the 16-38 year range are capable of tactical planning that's better by an order of magnitude than mentioned in the report - with multiple tactics for multiple maps and dismissing many quite advanced and well-articulated plans in the process.
They even use dedicated tactical briefing software and voip teleconference software for it, fusing gamers from three continents into a team.
Such gamers should be considered the lower end in tactical skills, not anything like "real skills and technical knowledge", of course.