No care for human life

A suicide bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into a U.S. government vehicle in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing two Pakistanis and wounding 19 others, including two Americans, officials said.

The attack in the city of Peshawar was a vivid reminder of the danger U.S. officials face while working in Pakistan, especially in the country’s northwest where Taliban and Al Qaeda militants are strongest. Insurgents have carried out scores of bombings in Peshawar in recent years, but attacks against American targets have been relatively rare because of the extensive security measures taken by the U.S. government.

The bomber struck the vehicle after it left the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar and while it was traveling through an area of the city that hosts various international organizations, including the United Nations, said police officer Pervez Khan, who was part of the security escort for the vehicle as it moved.

The attack killed two Pakistanis and wounded 19 other people, said senior police officer Javed Khan.

It is painfully clear that we are fighting an enemy that has no care for human life, especially the lives of their own countrymen. It does not matter what country they are in, they are the same people with the same disregard for the sanctity of human life. What is sad is that pretty much all religions of the world preach the value and importance of human life as it is a gift. So I am not sure how these people can perform such horrendous tasks in the name of any religion.

Read more at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/09/03/2-killed-after-car-hits-us-vehicle-in-pakistan

Another 2 warriors down

A rogue Afghan soldier shot dead two U.S. troops in east Afghanistan on Monday, the NATO-led coalition said, the latest in a series of insider killings that have strained trust between the allies ahead of a 2014 pullout by foreign combat troops.

May God bless the souls of those who were murdered and may the soul of the murder burn in hell next to all of his comrades.

Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/08/27/world/asia/27reuters-afghanistan-shooting.html

Rollin in the Bazaar

I remember when the ANA first started being issued American Humvees in 2007. My teammates and I would laugh about how bad they would look, how they would get “jingled” up and what condition they would end up being in. I think I have my answer now.

Good Luck Boys….

Afghan National Army (ANA) Soldiers convoy through the Nowzad Bazaar, Nowzad, Helmand province, Afghanistan Feb. 20, 2012. ANA is preparing to assume responsibility for maintaining security in Afghanistan after Coalition Forces depart.

Winter 2012 Afghanistan Rotations Announced

I just received this “hot off the wire”

DOD Identifies Units For Upcoming Afghanistan Rotation

 

            The Department of Defense today identified three major units to deploy as part of the upcoming rotation of forces operating in Afghanistan.  The scheduled rotation involves three brigade combat teams (BCT) – one Infantry brigade combat team with roughly 2,800 personnel; one armored brigade combat team with roughly 4,000 personnel and one infantry brigade combat team with roughly 2,870 personnel — to rotate in winter 2012.  The deploying units include:Brigade Combat Teams:

1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Soldiers’ Angels and Valour-IT NEEDS YOU, TODAY!

Come on readers, it is time to step up. The Valour-IT program at Solders’s Angels is seriously behind the power-curve on this year’s fundraising effort. Even though we have four teams set up by service I really don’t care where you contribute. Yes I would like it to be via Team Army by going to HERE, any team or to the general Valour-IT fund would be fine.

This year’s fundraising effort has run longer than any time in the past but has had the worse results. It started on July 4th, and ends on Labor Day, which is about 10 days away. Soldiers’ Angels is not wasting any time or waiting until this effort closes to put it to work, as they are buying laptops as fast as they can. Check out http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=1168&cntnt01returnid=15 and read about how they are planning to give out 30 laptops this weekend alone, but there are another 56 on the list to receive them.

It is not just laptops that they give out, they also provide iPads, Wii gaming systems, and even voice activated GPSes. Check this story out about an Airmen and the impact that Valour-IT has had on him, http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=1155&cntnt01returnid=15

So I am asking you are a reader of this blog, to please consider giving whatever you can. I have given so I would not ask you to do anything that I wouldn’t do, and I will be giving more. You read this blog because you care. You care out about military, you care about our country, and you care about our veterans after they come home. I know this by virtue of you reading this.

Many people ask me “What can I do?” or “How can I make a difference?”. Well this is how, and you can rest assured that your contribution goes directly to the support of these guys and gals who need your support.

To pick a team and contribute please go to http://soldiersangels.givezooks.com and make your tax-deductible donation today. Also, if you can help spread the word via friends, family, Twitter, Facebook or by any other means that would help greatly also. You can point them to this blog post or directly to the donation page.

Ramadan is not the excuse

Ok, in the last few weeks I have talked about a line of crap being fed the American people by the civilian and military leadership of this country, the leadership of ISAF and most recently the leadership of the country of Afghanistan in relation to the surge of  Green on Blue attacks against our forces.

But after an update from GEN Allen (Commander of all forces in Afghanistan) this morning I am shocked. Shocked that he could tell the world with a straight face that the reason for the increase of attacks is because of the fasting that happens in Ramadan.

Some recent attacks by uniformed Afghan forces against NATO troops may have been triggered by stress, hunger and dehydration associated with Ramadan fasting that this year fell in the middle of harsh summer weather and the heavy fighting season, the top U.S. military officer in Afghanistan said Thursday.

“I think that the holy month of Ramadan demands great sacrifice of Muslims who observe it,” Marine Gen. John Allen told reporters via video feed from Kabul. “The idea that they will fast during the day places great strain on them.”

Not sure about GEN Allen, but I have spent almost the entire month of Ramadan with Afghan forces, downrange, fighting the enemy. I witnessed them first-hand getting up before sunrise and eating, then spending all day conducting combat operations without food or water, and then in the evening after prayer watching them eat again, and in fact enjoying the feast with them.

Conducting a quick Village Assessment during Combat Operations in the middle of Ramadan 2006.

I have had Afghans cook me rice and food during Ramadan while they were fasting themselves. I asked them not to, but they were so proud and honored that I like some of their dishes that they insisted. I felt terrible that they cooked for me but could not eat themselves, yet they would have it no other way.

Again let me reiterate that I spent pretty much the entire month of Ramadan in 2006 with Afghans where we slept on the ground, didn’t bathe, and ate when we could while chasing bad guys all over southern Ghazni Province.

As the missions dragged on during that month more and more of them would start eating and drinking during the day. Some held out as long as they could, others went like a day or two and that was it. They weren’t bad muslims for doing this, because according to them and other muslims I have talked to, if one is traveling or not at home during Ramadan then they are allowed to break the fast and eat. This counts when they are “deployed” on missions away from their base, traveling on vacation, etc. However they are supposed to extend their fasting after they return.

So if someone is on vacation or maybe deployed to the field for a week then once they return they SHOULD extend their fasting by another week to make up for it. From what I understand the “make-up” rarely ever happens. Whatever, as that is between them and their faith. The point being they (the Afghans) know this and now the rules.

In addition to knowing this they are also accustom  to it. This isn’t their first time observing Ramadan, they have been doing it their whole lives. They know what to expect just like a Catholic knows that during Lent they are required to give up something and not eat meat on Fridays. So it is not like on day 3 of fasting (during daylight hours only) that someone suddenly got so pissed they decided to murder and American or other coalition member.

I am not buying it, and I hope America and the world doesn’t either. I just wish the leadership at all levels could admit the real cause and quit trying to sugar-coat this and quit trying to find a scapegoat for the murder of our troops by the Afghans we are training and partnering with. The American people respect the position the Military leadership has and I believe they trust whatever a General says, so their opinions, comments, etc. hold a lot of value and validity by virtue of them saying it.

Read the whole story at http://www.stripes.com/news/army/allen-blames-some-insider-attacks-on-stress-of-ramadan-fasting-1.186734

Shirking accountability

Talk about a lack of accountability and responsibility. This is classic denial and spin on behalf of the Karzai staff. I guess maybe they think “their” people may believe this, but I can guarantee you there is no way the American people will give this a thought as being truthful.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai’s top advisers have said the rise in insider attacks on NATO troops recently is the product of foreign spy agencies infiltrating Afghanistan’s security forces.

After months of investigating, members of Karzai’s National Security Council have concluded that both Pakistani and Iranian intelligence organizations are recruiting young Afghans to enlist in the army and police with the intention of targeting Western service members and whose ultimate aim is to destabilize Afghanistan’s forces.

“The National Security Council has enough evidence to prove that Afghans are being used and brainwashed by these foreign agencies. They see this as a way of attacking the buildup of the Afghan National Security Forces proving that they are weak and unable to protect the country,” the Washington Post quoted Aymal Faizi, a spokesman for the president, as saying.

Although members of Karzai’s administration referred publicly only to the spy agencies of “foreign countries,” officials confirmed that Pakistan and Iran were, by far, the biggest concerns, the paper said.

Karzai’s top national security advisers also blamed the vetting process for new army and police recruits and cited the Western pressure to expand rapidly as the reason.

To address these issues, the spokesman said Karzai has pledged that every recruit be vouched for by a reliable source, particularly those with family connections across the border, the paper said.

The president also suggested that counter-intelligence efforts be strengthened within the Afghan security forces and that “psychological operations” be used to render soldiers and police less amenable to enemy propaganda, it added. (ANI)

Do Military spouses have it harder than the deployed soldier?

This is a great question and I am glad that Cassy brought it up over at www.youserved.com.

And they didn’t deploy thinking, YES, I get a break from my kids now!! Woo-hoo!. I think this is one of the most ludicrous claims that I hear — that staying behind is so much harder because you have to deal with the kids. Newsflash: he would give anything to be able to be there and “deal with” the kids.

So come on, let’s be serious. When you compare the two scenarios, how on earth could you possibly think that staying behind in the comfort of your safe home, with your family and friends nearby, could in any way be worse than deploying to a war zone in miserable living conditions? How narcissistic do you have to be to really believe that staying behind is worse?

Cassy doesn’t have a problem sharing her opinion and I am glad she addressed this issue. I agree 100% with her, and am glad someone came out to say this and that person is a spouse. Don’t get me wrong, being a spouse or any family member of a deployed soldiers is not easy, but it is by far not the “hardest”. I have been THAT deployed soldier a few times, and I have been the father of a deployed soldier so my opinion is based on experience. Cassy does a great job explaining her position so I encourage you to check it out.

To put it in perspective, if taking care of the kids is so bad, then why have them. Why not go join the French Foreign Legion or some mercenary group and travel the world waging war.

Read the whole post at YouServed: http://www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2012/08/22/get-real-spouses-dont-have-it-harder-than-servicemembers/#ixzz24JJztQFi

 

Is the Administration ready to admit these attacks aren’t anomolies?

This morning a story came out about CJCS Gen Dempsey’s parked plane being hit by shrapnel while he was in Afghanistan. What a completely lucky shot on behalf of those rocketeers as they are never able to aim those damned 107s. They just set them up to shoot on a delayed timer and hope it hits something.

That is not really news as rockets get fired at bases all the time, to include the monsterous Bagram Air Base. This is only news because he was there and they damaged his plane.

What I want to highlight is a little add-on to the bottom of the story posted on FoxNews at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/21/us-military-chief-plane-hit-by-afghan-militants-at-air-base/#ixzz24BxfNuRw

So far this year, civilian and military leaders keep saying that these attacks are “anomolies”, “lone wolves” and “infiltrators” in order to downplay how serious an issue this is. But from reading the piece below it sounds to me like they are starting to indirectly admit that this is a serious issue.

President Obama told reporters at the White House Monday that he too would be placing a call to President Karzai to reiterate US concerns. On Saturday Defense Secretary Leon Panetta did the same.

It is highly unusual for the Commander in Chief, the Defense Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to each place calls to a head of state, suggesting how urgent US officials view the current spate of insider attacks by Afghans that US forces are attempting to train.

There have been 40 US and NATO deaths that resulted from these insider attacks since the beginning of the year. 10 ISAF service members have been killed by Afghan insiders in the last week alone, 7 of them American.

So I wonder, will anyone officially come out and admit to the American people that these attacks are a TTP (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures) of the enemy’s fight against us?

 

Green on Green to go with that Green on Blue

It seems that not only has there been a rash of Green on Blue, which I have written about extensively over the last two days but it appears that there are more and more cases of Green on Green. This is when Afghans turn on Afghans. This has happened twice that I know of in the last two weeks.

 Two policemen were killed on Saturday after killing seven of their colleagues in Nimroz province 790 km southwest of capital city Kabul, provincial police chief Hajji Musa Rasouli said Sunday.

“Two policemen who had linked with the Taliban outfit opened fire on their colleagues in a checkpoint in Dilaram district yesterday afternoon leaving seven police dead on the spot. However, another police returned fire killing both on the spot,” Rasouli told Xinhua.

It is the third incident of its kind over the past three days. In the previous incidents which occurred in the southern Helmand province and Taliban outfit claimed the responsibility, eight foreign soldiers, according to local officials, had been killed.

I think that disputes the stupid case that ISAF and CNN have tried to make recently where they tried to imply that most of the Green on Blue attacks are the fault of our troops and not by the enemy inserting themselves into the Afghan Security Forces. Read more about that here, http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=31613.

It is pretty sad when the ISAF leadership is more of a spin machine than MSNBC. It amazes me that the leadership in this country and now ISAF think that our citizens are that stupid to believe such a thing. They can’t tell their truth without spinning it if their lives depended on it. Sadly, our troops lives do.