Unpleasent realization

Post #16,353 by JayMehaffey 11/3/01 1:11:31 PM Reply	Unpleasent realization I think the military is facing the unpleasent realization that the Taliban soldiers are fundamentally good. They may not have high dicipline or well organized team work but individually they are good simply because the bad ones are already dead. Jay
Post #16,354 by Ashton 11/3/01 1:13:37 PM Reply	Heh.. Gotta love natural selection - in daily proof.
Post #16,358 by addison 11/3/01 1:25:18 PM Reply	Re: Unpleasent realization I think the military is facing the unpleasent realization that the Taliban soldiers are fundamentally good. I don't think that they are - as a whole. Based on what I've read of the Afghan/tribal infighting, I don't think they stand a chance of standing up against our guys. But the guys guarding Omar's stuff would be the best they've got. And sadly, the Military tends to underestimate their opponents all too often. But even so - I do not think that this needs to be said, in the way its being said, right this minute. Its too damn close to helping the Taliban. (Its a damn hard distinction to make between info, and too much). Addison
Post #16,403 by JayMehaffey 11/3/01 11:05:58 PM Reply	I suspect But even so - I do not think that this needs to be said, in the way its being said, right this minute. Its too damn close to helping the Taliban. (Its a damn hard distinction to make between info, and too much). I suspect that some of this depressing war news we have heard recently is being leaked intentionally to make it clear this may not end soon. I don't think that they are - as a whole. Based on what I've read of the Afghan/tribal infighting, I don't think they stand a chance of standing up against our guys. I didn't mean good as a good army. They have crap for command and control, and little in the way of heavy weapons. If sent in an armored division there is probably nothing they could do to stop it. What I meant was the individual soldiers have a lot of experience. Some of them have more then a decade of experience in fighting in Afganistan. Some of the Special Forces guys may have never fired on a live enemy before. Jay
Post #16,496 by tablizer 11/4/01 7:15:40 PM Reply	The key: "not afraid to die" >> I think the military is facing the unpleasent realization that the Taliban soldiers are fundamentally good. They may not have high dicipline or well organized team work but individually they are good simply because the bad ones are already dead. << It is similar to the Japanese in WWII: they will all die fighting, every single fricken one of them. A bullet to the head is equiv to 70 instant virgins to them. What we need is body-heat-seeking robotlets that buzz or whiz around and shoot at anything living. In hand-to-hand combat, Samuri Klingons always win. Not nec because they are good, but because death is the highest honour. ________________ oop.ismad.com
Post #16,612 by Brandioch 11/5/01 12:13:23 PM Reply	Reality is always so boring. "In hand-to-hand combat, Samuri Klingons always win. Not nec because they are good, but because death is the highest honour." Allow me to drag this conversation back to the realm or reason. #1. There are some individuals willing to take suicide missions. #2. These people exist in ALL societies. Yes, we have US citizens who will take suicide missions for their government. #3. Islam does not require ALL (or even a majority) to become suicide bombers. If it did, we would have been destroyed long ago. Simple math. They infiltrate our boarders (not that hard to do) and drive cars loaded with explosives into buildings. Eventually, we are gone. Every suicide bomber takes out 10 people or more. Simply put, the Afghan people are fighting to keep their homes safe from us. We are the invaders. They know the terrain better than we do. They are more motivated to stop us on their home ground. They can hide amongst the locals when not fighting us. There is NOTHING here that we have not run into in EVERY invasion. We had it when we were shooting Indians. The Brits had it with the Zulus. Invasions are the costliest wars. We did better in Kuwait because we shelled them for MONTHS. We made sure they didn't eat or sleep. Then we mopped them us. Do the same thing in Afghanistan. But the politics are different. Again, you can't use the military to fight a political conflict.

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