Monday, October 02, 2006
Attention UK
You used to be cool.
Now you're turning into a bunch of pussies.
Fire whoever it was that struck a deal with the Taliban. Hell, hang the son of a bitch for treason. Hand the sorry little ballerina a cigarette and put him in front of a soon-to-be-pockmarked wall.
Then go find and kill the fucking enemy and put their heads on pikes.
There's no way Al Qaeda is going to honor the terms of any cease fire anywhere, you wankers. So don't you dare.
You're acting like a defeated army. Unfortunately, there's a lot of that going around.
Splash, out
Jason
Now you're turning into a bunch of pussies.
Fire whoever it was that struck a deal with the Taliban. Hell, hang the son of a bitch for treason. Hand the sorry little ballerina a cigarette and put him in front of a soon-to-be-pockmarked wall.
Then go find and kill the fucking enemy and put their heads on pikes.
There's no way Al Qaeda is going to honor the terms of any cease fire anywhere, you wankers. So don't you dare.
You're acting like a defeated army. Unfortunately, there's a lot of that going around.
Splash, out
Jason
Comments:
The British have been a hollow army for decades now. Similar to the Canadians.
They chuffed it in Basra, and make no mistake, they're doing the same here, if the report be true.
They cannot be trusted to lead anything anymore.
They chuffed it in Basra, and make no mistake, they're doing the same here, if the report be true.
They cannot be trusted to lead anything anymore.
Without impugning anyones manhood, I just don't think it's very smart. Their concern for the loss of Afghan "face" is commendable. I'm just not sure whether they'll save more face themselves than they'll lose by ceding the terrain to an enemy that hides among the locals.
# posted by 
: 6:21 PM
: 6:21 PM
You'd think that of all the nations in the world, England would know this lesson the best. They've been fighting against enemies who hide amongst the locals ever since the early days of their colonial efforts. . .and for a fair portion of that time against Islamic insurgents!
Guess it's true that while a man can learn, mankind as a whole cannot.
Guess it's true that while a man can learn, mankind as a whole cannot.
The comments, and the original posting, don't show a great deal of understanding of the dynamics of the insurgency or politics in southern Afghanistan.
Simply put, the Taliban are no longer the homogenous political movement and militia they were when they rose to power. Rather, a small core of ideological Taliban cadres is today multiplied by a variety of loose alliances with tribal leaders, clans, and warlords.
These alliances are shifting and uncertain (to the point that both troops and commanders switch sides). Incentives and disincentives can force substantial changes in alliance patterns.
Heavy NATO operations often have the effect of pushing local actors in Taliban arms. Taliban commanders are quite clear that they favor large NATO offensives, since they feel they work to the benefit of the movement in the long-term.
What the British have done here is to change local alliance patterns, by offering incentives to the population of Musa Qala to keep their area "Taliban free".
It might not work, of course. However, it is potentially smart counter-insurgency (and not dissimilar to the UK in Northern Ireland cutting deals with first the official IRA and then later the provos, finally reducing hard-core militant Republicans to an ineffectual "Real IRA" fringe).
Post a Comment
Simply put, the Taliban are no longer the homogenous political movement and militia they were when they rose to power. Rather, a small core of ideological Taliban cadres is today multiplied by a variety of loose alliances with tribal leaders, clans, and warlords.
These alliances are shifting and uncertain (to the point that both troops and commanders switch sides). Incentives and disincentives can force substantial changes in alliance patterns.
Heavy NATO operations often have the effect of pushing local actors in Taliban arms. Taliban commanders are quite clear that they favor large NATO offensives, since they feel they work to the benefit of the movement in the long-term.
What the British have done here is to change local alliance patterns, by offering incentives to the population of Musa Qala to keep their area "Taliban free".
It might not work, of course. However, it is potentially smart counter-insurgency (and not dissimilar to the UK in Northern Ireland cutting deals with first the official IRA and then later the provos, finally reducing hard-core militant Republicans to an ineffectual "Real IRA" fringe).
# posted by : 12:44 PM
: 12:44 PM
