Afghan Taliban resist Nato push

[Barman]

US forces are facing sporadic resistance around the Taliban haven of Marjah as a major offensive in southern Afghanistan moves into its fourth day.

The progress of US troops has been hampered by sniper fire and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in some areas.

Source

Is it only me that is not surprised by the number of IEDs our troops are facing in this 'major offensive'?

Christ, we gave the enemy enough warning as to when and where we were going to attack - it didn't take a top intelligence officer to work out that all those routes would be booby trapped...

And now we can't use some missile system because of civilian casualties... 

It seems pointless to me to spend billions on military hardware that you are afraid to use for fear of collateral damage. We have fast-air a-plenty and massive amounts of armour yet our preferred weapon is Mk 1 squaddie on foot patrol... 

Either go home or get the job done properly... warn them if you must but then carpet bomb them into the dark ages before attacking with heavy armour followed up by infantry...

The current policy is the equivalent of sending mounted cavalry into machine guns and artillery in WW1...

[toffee]

BM

    No-one ever won anything there - we just lost lives - they have their own agenda and it's tribalistic -we dont understand or perhaps there is another agenda?? Sniff,sniff.
B.

[Snoopy]

Someone (And I can't now remember who) said on the wireless the other day that Afghanistan is utterly worthless. No minerals, no oil, nothing that we want, there is not even a decent amount of water in the place. The sole reason we and the rest are there is to stop somebody else having it ~ which is a wee bit childish I feel.

[toffee]

Someone (And I can't now remember who) said on the wireless the other day that Afghanistan is utterly worthless. No minerals, no oil, nothing that we want, there is not even a decent amount of water in the place. The sole reason we and the rest are there is to stop somebody else having it ~ which is a wee bit childish I feel.

Fully agree Snoops but the REAL money is across borders, I feel, and that' where some of the problems lie.
B.

[Barman]

BM

    No-one ever won anything there - we just lost lives - they have their own agenda and it's tribalistic -we dont understand or perhaps there is another agenda?? Sniff,sniff.
B.

I agree... I'd either: -

a) Pull out (preferred)

OR

b) Use the full weight of our military power to smash the enemy.

Unfortunately, they have chosen the third option: -

c) Piss about tieing the hands of our troops and filling as many body bags with our boys as possible.

[The Moan Ranger]

BM

    No-one ever won anything there - we just lost lives - they have their own agenda and it's tribalistic -we dont understand or perhaps there is another agenda?? Sniff,sniff.
B.

I agree... I'd either: -

a) Pull out (preferred)

OR

b) Use the full weight of our military power to smash the enemy.

Unfortunately, they have chosen the third option: -

c) Piss about tieing the hands of our troops and filling as many body bags with our boys as possible.

d) nuke it and turn the whole area to glass.

[Grumpmeister]

BM

    No-one ever won anything there - we just lost lives - they have their own agenda and it's tribalistic -we dont understand or perhaps there is another agenda?? Sniff,sniff.
B.

Dont tell me you are one of those cynical buggers who thinks that because halliburton have been planning an oil pipeline through northern afghanistan for years now we are sending in the troops.










Welcome to the club.

[Barman]

BM

    No-one ever won anything there - we just lost lives - they have their own agenda and it's tribalistic -we dont understand or perhaps there is another agenda?? Sniff,sniff.
B.

I agree... I'd either: -

a) Pull out (preferred)

OR

b) Use the full weight of our military power to smash the enemy.

Unfortunately, they have chosen the third option: -

c) Piss about tieing the hands of our troops and filling as many body bags with our boys as possible.

d) nuke it and turn the whole area to glass.

That you can peer through and see the oil....