Article

2007-12-07 Afghanistan

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Posted by Anonymoose 2007-12-07 12:33|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 Popcorn! Gitcher popcorn rat-cheer! :-D

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-12-07 12:59|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-12-07 12:59|| Front Page Top

#2 2,000 dead taliwackers coming up!

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2007-12-07 13:00|| 2007-12-07 13:00|| Front Page Top

#3 Looks like it's gonna be a long one. I'll phone in an order for pizza and subs. Who'll bring the drinks??

Posted by lotp 2007-12-07 13:06|| 2007-12-07 13:06|| Front Page Top

#4 I can see the headlines now:

Two Thousand Afghans Killed in NATO Airstrikes

Posted by tu3031 2007-12-07 13:07|| 2007-12-07 13:07|| Front Page Top

#5 Arclight.

Posted by Sneash Bonaparte3382 2007-12-07 13:12|| 2007-12-07 13:12|| Front Page Top

#6 Less than 200 Talibs, tops.

And they don't hold the town though it's bandit country.

Posted by Chuck Simmins">Chuck Simmins 2007-12-07 13:19|| http://northshorejournal.org]">[http://northshorejournal.org] 2007-12-07 13:19|| Front Page Top

#7 Why does this BBC article read like it's written from inside Musa Qala? There's multiple indirect quotes from "local Taleban commander" and "Taleban fighters" and a single quote from un-named "British officers". The only name in the whole damned piece is a BBC reporter!
This newer version was re-written from the viewpoint of "NATO", but it sure looks to me like the BBC has better sources inside of the Taliban than it does with British armed forces in Afghanistan.

BTW, the new version of the article credits a heliborne US assault component as being the main effort. In the future tense, which suggests that somebody at the BBC just telegraphed a punch, and perhaps explains why they're not getting all that much from their own side.

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2007-12-07 13:20|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2007-12-07 13:20|| Front Page Top

#8 Target-rich environment.

Posted by Mike 2007-12-07 13:20|| 2007-12-07 13:20|| Front Page Top

#9 1.) I hope they have these mooks surrounded so they cant escape.

2.) I wonder how big of an area we're talking about -- how concentrated are they? I can't envision what this "town" looks like. Do we ever just dumb-bomb the crap out of a place anymore?

3.) I'd really like to see a good kill/capture ratio -- something like 3/1

Posted by Captain Lewis 2007-12-07 13:56|| 2007-12-07 13:56|| Front Page Top

#10 Why does this BBC article read like it's written from inside Musa Qala? There's multiple indirect quotes from "local Taleban commander" and "Taleban fighters" and a single quote from un-named "British officers".

Likely Afghani or Pakis who supplement their meager Taleban pay with freelance journalism.

The only name in the whole damned piece is a BBC reporter!

Who's running operations ~~safely ensconced in~~ from a Kabul hotel room.

Posted by Pappy 2007-12-07 14:00|| 2007-12-07 14:00|| Front Page Top

#11 i'll bring the drinks -- hot chocolate.

with the potential body count, it's looking like Halloween in overtime...

Posted by Querent 2007-12-07 14:08|| 2007-12-07 14:08|| Front Page Top

#12 #9: "I'd really like to see a good kill/capture ratio -- something like 3/1"

I'd prefer 4/0, but that's just me.... :-D

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-12-07 14:28|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-12-07 14:28|| Front Page Top

#13 No, Barb, it's not just you! :-)

Posted by gorb 2007-12-07 15:00|| 2007-12-07 15:00|| Front Page Top

#14 What's wrong with a good old fashioned firebombing?

And I like the 4/0 ratio too.

Posted by CrazyFool 2007-12-07 15:10|| 2007-12-07 15:10|| Front Page Top

#15 Why does this BBC article read like it's written from inside Musa Qala? There's multiple indirect quotes from "local Taleban commander" and "Taleban fighters" and a single quote from un-named "British officers".

Auntie Beeb's Talib stringers...
******************************************

Ima "study" on Brit-Mil-Ops-reportage via the ole-bat-Auntie-Beeb. [and channel 4]

Itsa curiouser & curious pheenomeena Indeedy THAT for all their Hate America, Hate Tony Blair, Hate Bush, Hate American Armed Forces, They DO Have a soft spot and love affair with the Brit Armed Services.

In fact they will write O-U-T the main combatants [USA] in a battle and write I-N their favorite squaddies heroic achievements as T-H-E pivotal ones in any/every battle.

Mind you the Brit armed forces are good.. But no one does it better in A-stan than our guys and gals. In addition think A-10s, B-1s, B-2s, B-52s, F-15Es, *F-14s, F-16s etc

Michael Yon has written some fine examples btw.

plz test my thesis...

Posted by Red Dawg">Red Dawg 2007-12-07 15:20|| 2007-12-07 15:20|| Front Page Top

#16 Itsa curiouser & curious pheenomeena Indeedy THAT for all their Hate America, Hate Tony Blair, Hate Bush, Hate American Armed Forces, They DO Have a soft spot and love affair with the Brit Armed Services.

Not curious at all. I think only the Anglo world is very self-critical, and lefty* Americans are the most extreme at that kind of thing. Unlike some Americans, Brits have always sided with their own country.

* I really hesitate to use the word lefty here - I think these people don't really care about ideology. Whichever ideology denigrates Uncle Sam and seems popular at any given time will do. They're not picky. A better word would be traitorous. Do we have a monopoly on Benedict Arnolds? No - but we certainly have more than our share.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2007-12-07 15:29|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2007-12-07 15:29|| Front Page Top

#17

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Been looking forward to a big fight.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-12-07 15:30|| 2007-12-07 15:30|| Front Page Top

#18 That's a MPCB!
Moose Pop Corn Bomb!

Posted by Red Dawg">Red Dawg 2007-12-07 15:34|| 2007-12-07 15:34|| Front Page Top

#19 Not curious at all. I think only the Anglo world is very self-critical, and lefty* Americans are the most extreme at that kind of thing. Unlike some Americans, Brits have always sided with their own country.

* I really hesitate to use the word lefty here - I think these people don't really care about ideology. Whichever ideology denigrates Uncle Sam and seems popular at any given time will do. They're not picky. A better word would be traitorous. Do we have a monopoly on Benedict Arnolds? No - but we certainly have more than our share.

Thats a very sad obsevation Zhang Fei.. it haz a certain ring of truth tho..
:(

Posted by Red Dawg">Red Dawg 2007-12-07 15:43|| 2007-12-07 15:43|| Front Page Top

#20 1.) I hope they have these mooks surrounded so they cant escape.

And that goes double for any BBC on the ground.

Posted by Excalibur 2007-12-07 15:52|| 2007-12-07 15:52|| Front Page Top

#21 A kill/capture ration of 1998/2 would be even better, especially if the "2" were the top commanders in the area, and sing their guts out once they're captured.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2007-12-07 16:14|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2007-12-07 16:14|| Front Page Top

#22 The Taleban defences include hundreds of mines.

*snort*

Fixed defenses in the air-mobile and JDAM world? Only *hundreds* of mines?

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2007-12-07 16:58|| 2007-12-07 16:58|| Front Page Top

#23 It was even suggested that it could act as a model for reducing violence in the volatile province. But the deal was strongly criticised by some Afghan and US officials.

So who was right THIS time, Hmm?

Posted by Ptah">Ptah 2007-12-07 17:13|| http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org]">[http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2007-12-07 17:13|| Front Page Top

#24 It's just BBC Breathless Reporting 203. SOP. On the scene in anywhere with Tommy sent here irresponsibly, but doing a good job for the idiot that he is.

Posted by Thomas Woof 2007-12-07 17:35|| 2007-12-07 17:35|| Front Page Top

#25 Really, Zhang? How do you describe M.P. George Galloway?

Posted by Eric Jablow">Eric Jablow 2007-12-07 18:50|| 2007-12-07 18:50|| Front Page Top

#26 Unlike some Americans, Brits have always sided with their own country

Oxford Pledge?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2007-12-07 20:16|| 2007-12-07 20:16|| Front Page Top

#27 Taleban fighters ...say they are under attack from British and Afghan troops.

How do you say "Whoa, sucks to be you!" in Pashto?

Posted by SteveS 2007-12-07 20:42|| 2007-12-07 20:42|| Front Page Top

#28 What are these guys bellyaching about? That's a huge load of virgins.

Posted by Broadhead6 2007-12-07 20:43|| 2007-12-07 20:43|| Front Page Top

#29 STARS-N-STRIPES > 70,000 Afghan soldiers being trained out of 200,000 thats actually needed.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-12-07 20:57|| 2007-12-07 20:57|| Front Page Top

#30 How bout 2,000 Taliban vs. 1 MOAB

Posted by DMFD 2007-12-07 21:31|| 2007-12-07 21:31|| Front Page Top

#31 Oxford Pledge?

At the time of the pledge, no one had attempted an invasion or an attack on British soil for at least 100 years. We had Ward Churchill call the dead of the World Trade Center "little Eichmann's", and colleges that paid him tens of thousands of dollars to hear him speak. We have Hollywood making movies against soldiers in a war that is ongoing. We have American newspapers embracing a news blackout on acts of heroism by American soldiers. Medal of Honor winners used to make front page news. These days, we are lucky if the (usually deceased) winner's hometown paper carries the story. Victoria Cross winners still make the front page in Britain. Even the ones that get it from fighting in Iraq - a war even more unpopular in Britain than in the US.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2007-12-07 21:44|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2007-12-07 21:44|| Front Page Top

23:46 Abdominal Snowman
23:43 Abdominal Snowman
23:29 rammer
23:04 Pappy
22:56 GK
22:26 JosephMendiola
22:24 Mike
22:19 Sgt. Mom
22:12 JosephMendiola
22:07 JosephMendiola
22:06 Frank G
22:02 JosephMendiola
21:59 JosephMendiola
21:44 Zhang Fei
21:40 Anonymoose
21:34 SteveS
21:33 Anonymoose
21:31 DMFD
21:29 Broadhead6
21:25 Broadhead6
21:18 M. Murcek
21:18 Broadhead6
21:16 DarthVader
21:16 Grunter