🚀 go-pugleaf

"Brian Daily" <daily.brian@gmail.com.nomaps> wrote in message 
news:oeota21fb40mctipdan2hu1b3i8fam8ffb@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 18:23:32 -0400, penny <gorawen@sentex.net > wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 11:41:18 -0700, Brian Daily
>><daily.brian@gmail.com.nomaps> wrote:
>>
>>>http://icstaines.icnetwork.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17346232&method=full&siteid=50102&headline=mp-seeks-afghan-troops-recall-name_page.html
>>>
>>>British troops in Afghanistan should be withdrawn to barracks until a 
>>>clear
>>>political strategy has been agreed, a Labour former armed forces minister 
>>>has
>>>argued.
>>>
>>>Doug Henderson warned that soldiers lives must not be put at risk in the 
>>>absence
>>>of "direct and immediate purpose".
>>>
>>>And he suggested that an effective military strategy would only be 
>>>achieved on
>>>the back of an effective political one.
>>>
>>>Defence Secretary Des Browne told MPs on Thursday that he is urgently
>>>considering requests for extra troops in Afghanistan.
>>>
>>>His announcement followed the death of the sixth British serviceman to be 
>>>killed
>>>in the troubled Helmand province in the past month.
>>>
>>>
>>>Story continues Continue story
>>>ADVERTISEMENT
>>>
>>>In an interview for GMTV's Sunday Programme, to be broadcast this 
>>>weekend, Mr
>>>Henderson said: "First of all we're getting bogged down and secondly, 
>>>it's not
>>>clear what the strategy is.
>>>
>>>"I don't think it's clear to the world community, I don't think it's 
>>>clear to
>>>the insurrectionaries in Afghanistan and it probably isn't clear to our 
>>>troops
>>>either."
>>>
>>>He added: "I think the United Nations needs to look at the political 
>>>situation
>>>again. There needs to be a clear political strategy."
>>>
>>>Mr Henderson, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, told GMTV: "Once we have 
>>>a
>>>political strategy it will then be much clearer what the military 
>>>strategy needs
>>>to be to reinforce that."
>>>
>>>He continued: "I think until a political strategy has been worked out and 
>>>agreed
>>>by those who need to agree to it then, in some senses, there should be a
>>>withdrawal of British troops, to barracks at least, and the other NATO 
>>>troops."
>>
>>He's right !!!
>>
> The British troops are scared shitless right now. They know the enemy is 
> far FAR
> more than the Taliban. The enemy in Afghanistan numbers in the Millions, 
> and
> more and more of them are picking up guns every day.
> Afghanistan could make Iraq look like a walk in the park.

I doubt that the British troops are scared shitless. A squad or platoon in a 
modern military has substantial ability to survive, at the expense of the 
enemy. There are any number of instances of recon teams in Vietnam getting 
into very hot water - five or ten guys faced with fifty or a hundred enemy - 
and fire support and responsive extraction saved their bacon.

In fact, you can study almost any war, and see that units of any size have a 
great ability to hold out against superior numbers.

I'd like to think that the British attitude to the situation is similar to 
the Turkish attitude in Korea in the early '50's: "We're surrounded? 
Excellent! That means that we can attack in every direction".

AHS