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Afghanistan
Enemy ground fire slackens at Shah-i-Kot
2002-03-08
  • Enemy ground fire slackened Friday in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan and American aerial attacks were hindered by foul weather. U.S. officials believe there are "a couple hundred" enemy fighters still holding out. The number of U.S. soldiers wounded in action since the battle began March 2 had grown to about 50. U.S. warplanes had flown 200 missions Friday and dropped 75 bombs. 1,000 American troops, about 2,000 U.S.-allied Afghan soldiers and smaller numbers from Germany, Australia and other allied nations are engaged in ground combat against hundreds of al-Qaida fighters. The commander of the Army's 101st Airborne Division said Thursday that another 200 U.S. soldiers are going to join the fighting in Afghanistan. The soldiers are traveling with 16 Apache attack helicopters and four CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters to supplement or replace aircraft that have been damaged.

    "We're fighting fierce fighters," President Bush said. Noting reports that the enemy is showing no inclination to surrender, the president said, "That's OK. If that's their attitude, we'll just have to adjust."

    "We know for a fact an awful lot of people have been trying to get out and haven't been making it," Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said. "There seems to be no inclination to surrender. We've not seen or heard any willingness to do that, although we've looked."
    There aren't going to be a lot of friendly words for any prisoners taken, at least not from anyone on the US side. Mary Robinson and her ilk will no doubt be terribly "concerned" for them. Any Pak jihadis should just be shot out of hand. They had their chance, there were bunches of them repatriated after Konduz, and any that came back for more should get the full portion. The same really should apply to the Talibs - they were allowed by our erstwhile allies to return to their homes, and if they only stopped by to pick up more ammunition they shouldn't be allowed another trip. Any Hezb-e-Islami thugs caught should receive the same portion, and for the same reasons. That makes the al-Qaeda thugs the only ones in the pile who should be allowed any quarter at all. And they don't want it, so it looks like a successful campaign can be measured by how high the pile of deaders is.
    • Posted by:Fred Pruitt

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