Comments on: Is a spring offensive in Afghanistan really likely? http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/05/04/is-a-spring-offensive-in-afghanistan-really-likely/ Perspectives on Pakistan Sat, 5 Jul 2008 23:45:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: R.O.E. = U.S. Casualties http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/05/04/is-a-spring-offensive-in-afghanistan-really-likely/#comment-615 R.O.E. = U.S. Casualties Tue, 20 May 2008 16:52:39 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/05/04/is-a-spring-offensive-in-afghanistan-really-likely/#comment-615 The Taliban and Al Qaeda will do everything they can to slaughter us, including taking advantage of our rules of engagement and using our own media against our troops. We're still chasing the Taliban around because they take advantage of our ROE and our liberal media. The German KSK can't even fire upon armed Taliban militants unless they have been fired upon--and they are supposed to be controlling the Northwest Provinces! The KSK just let a high value Taliban leader/bombmaker slip away because they were not allowed to shoot at him when they literally had him in their sights. We are fighting a war with rules while the other side has no rules, we can never win this way. Casualties and tragedies are a part of war. If we can't defend ourselves abroad then we will be attacked at home and abroad continually, see 9/11. As long as we pretend like beecee that an offensive defense is unjust then the terrorists of the world will always have the upper hand and will always be plotting more attacks against us. The Taliban and Al Qaeda will do everything they can to slaughter us, including taking advantage of our rules of engagement and using our own media against our troops. We’re still chasing the Taliban around because they take advantage of our ROE and our liberal media. The German KSK can’t even fire upon armed Taliban militants unless they have been fired upon–and they are supposed to be controlling the Northwest Provinces! The KSK just let a high value Taliban leader/bombmaker slip away because they were not allowed to shoot at him when they literally had him in their sights. We are fighting a war with rules while the other side has no rules, we can never win this way. Casualties and tragedies are a part of war. If we can’t defend ourselves abroad then we will be attacked at home and abroad continually, see 9/11. As long as we pretend like beecee that an offensive defense is unjust then the terrorists of the world will always have the upper hand and will always be plotting more attacks against us.

]]> By: beecee http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/05/04/is-a-spring-offensive-in-afghanistan-really-likely/#comment-406 beecee Sun, 04 May 2008 09:12:47 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/05/04/is-a-spring-offensive-in-afghanistan-really-likely/#comment-406 "On occasion U.S. forces need to seek and have received permission to cross into Pakistan’s territory to pursue militants, he [a US officer] said. American unmanned spy planes are not allowed to pass into Pakistan’s air space, but otherwise, relations seem to be sound." This is not so. On 23 April US forces in Afghanistan shelled Pakistan and crossed the border. They killed a member of Pakistan's Frontier Corps. No permission for the operation was sought. A foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad said that Pakistan had lodged "a strong protest". UAVs fly over Pakistan territory regularly. They have struck villages with Hellfire missiles causing many deaths. US operations of this nature have ensured that the Taliban will never need recruiting posters. There may or may not be a 'spring offensive', but it doesn't matter : the effects of cross-border forays will last for decades. Hatred of foreigners, and by association the governments in Peshawar and Islamabad, is now ineradicable, and the task of bringing the tribes of FATA into mainstream society in Pakistan has been made even more difficult. “On occasion U.S. forces need to seek and have received permission to cross into Pakistan’s territory to pursue militants, he [a US officer] said. American unmanned spy planes are not allowed to pass into Pakistan’s air space, but otherwise, relations seem to be sound.”

This is not so. On 23 April US forces in Afghanistan shelled Pakistan and crossed the border. They killed a member of Pakistan’s Frontier Corps. No permission for the operation was sought. A foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad said that Pakistan had lodged “a strong protest”.

UAVs fly over Pakistan territory regularly. They have struck villages with Hellfire missiles causing many deaths.

US operations of this nature have ensured that the Taliban will never need recruiting posters. There may or may not be a ’spring offensive’, but it doesn’t matter : the effects of cross-border forays will last for decades. Hatred of foreigners, and by association the governments in Peshawar and Islamabad, is now ineradicable, and the task of bringing the tribes of FATA into mainstream society in Pakistan has been made even more difficult.

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