Captain's Quarters -

I don't understand. Or perhaps this is just not sufficiently nuanced for easy comprehension.

I keep hearing that killing is NOT the answer. Now I realise that this is a micro-level situation but it appears to have some serious macro-level implications, and KILLING this creature sure seems to have been the answer to HIM.

Score one for the good guys

What better gift could you give to the mothers in Helmand province on Mother's Day?

Helmand province has certainly been the hotbed of activity for a while now, we are hopeful this will curtain that activity.

Killing, intelligently applied, has always been the answer! In fact, its the answer that provides the relevance to all the other answers.

The problem is that we're all too "civilized" now to actually do it to the extent that the situation requires. Most really long wars generally deteriorate into whatever level of barbarity is necessary to provide victory to one side or the other. This one has a long way to go.

So our Afghanistan position has improved, finally because we are using a different ROE/tactics. God knows how many service members we lost in WWII against the Japanese and in Vietnam before we learned how to fight our brutal enemies with no holds barred. In this age of almost instant communications and resources, we still seem to learn very slowly. As a reported example: when in Iraq the insurgency began, we removed tank crews and placed them on foot patrol. A tank crew would only have one M-16 available with side arms for the remained crew members. So only one member of the crew would be somewhat properly armed. The other guys stated picking up AKs to carry and were threaten with disciplinary action since they were carrying unauthorized arms. Fortunately publicity caused a change in orders, but such stupidly should have got the officer who issued the threat removed from command and drilled out of the military. I never heard about what did happen to him, but I hope he got the worse possible treatment; he had more loyalty to the rules than to his men when the regulations placed his men unnecessarily in direct, deadly danger. If he was afraid that his career was in danger, then his superior officers should have been cashiered too for instilling that type of leadership in their subordinates. I am a veteran and my son serves in Iraq so this is not some “chickenhawk” rant.

This explains why members of the democrat party are wearing black arm bands today.

Count me as unsurprised if, knowing their history, Der Spiegel suddenly decides that Mullah Dadullah wasn't all that critical after all. Generally, any success in the war on terror can be minimized if you try hard enough (because you're not much interested success).

Now you are just going to upset them by killing them. We should have stuck to the Brit and other NATO forces technique - make treaties tghen the Taliban will not attack them, only the Afghans.

The operation was a classic spoiling attack that the Taliban have not recovered from, and the Taliban got the message that the war will be taken to them. The problem is that the Taliban might turn away from Afghanistan and get involved in the internal disputes of Pakistan. By fomenting political instability in Pakistan they will, in effect, create a new Taliban dominated state. They know they can’t stand up to us militarily but they can destabilize governments, and they thrive on the chaos that ensues.

The fact that we've blunted, if not crippled the "Spring Offensive". The turnaround in Anbar and Diyalah provinces in Iraq. The fact we've changed our RoE and are on the offensive in Iraq. The fact that WE ARE WINNING THIS WAR.

None of this matters to the Dhimmicrats and the White Flag Republicans. Brit Hume said it best this morning that the whole "Wake me up when September ends" strategy is inviting another Tet Offensive, and he's right.

All the blood and work we've put into this war over the last four years could be nullified by this fall. This month the White flag crew has declared that all AQ in Iraq has to do is keep sticking to bloody terror attacks against their own people for the next four months so that their media allies can continue to broadcast bodies and the Dems can continue to blame it all on Bush.

And the Dems and the White Flag boys believe the voters will somehow forgive them for this in '08 when gas is six dollars a gallon next summer, Israel will be under assault, and the Iraqi government has fallen.

History will not be kind to these people.

I don't know, Lightwave, the Dems hand in the fall of Vietnam and the rise of Pol Pot has pretty much fallen down the memory hole. With the media so firmly in the cut and run camp, I suspect that this too will go down the memory hole.

I'll be curious to see whether the latest server changes mean I can leave trackbacks again. In the mean time I linked from my 2007.05.13 Dem Perfidy // Islamism Delenda Est Roundup (Special Mullah Dadullah Deadullah Edition). 

Maybe, it's just me. But I call them ALL Saud's, now.

No cave man. No special "T" for any arab.

And, the other thing I do? I realize, that starting actually in Jimmy Carter's administration, "Z-big-new man" came up with a COVERT plan to destroy russia.

It worked. It was adopted. And, you heard about it, because russia got dragged into a war in Afghanistan, where a conventional army was defeated by "insurgents."

In the 1980's, Osama went to Afghanistan; and in those days was AMERICAN TRAINED. Yup. The short term results were fine. The soviets losts tens-of-thousands of men. And, even in their society it had the "Vietnam" effect. They had to leave.

On the other hand? I also knew long before the 1970's, the "STINKY-STANS" were considered a "CONTAINMENT NECKLACE" around the "bear."

Communism, it seems, flourishes mostly around Westerners. The Islamic cultists don't live in a world of "sharing." They're more than likely to hate other tribal groups. And, they do not get along. (Oh, only if they taught American history fair and square, you'd have known some of the many causes that provide clues why the American indians didn't survive.) It wasn't in the foundation of their organization. Add terror. The war paints. The feathers. And, the riding horseback while nude; and you'll gather other clues. But only if you want to.)

Back to Afganistan. And, what happened that wasn't foreseen "short-term."

ONE: Osama liked the fighting. And, was very at home in Afghanistan. Where he learned to "deal" with the Americans. And, love fighting. At the same time. We were building the roads so the war weaponry we were sending in, could reach tip-top mountain places; you usually couldn't reach. Even if you were a goat.

Osama also HAS his family fortunes. And, their propensity to LIE to Americans. While they plotted something "else."

You've also got to remember the Saud's had NO CONTROL OVER the Saudi Arabian oil fields, until they got feisty. In 1974. And, formed OPEC. Of course, by then, they had 10,000 princes to feed.

No one can describe the wealth to ya. But just like an oil welll, when you hit ONE, and you get a gusher; you get money coming in under such high pressure, you cannot spend it fast enough. You cannot even gamble but a small portion, away.

And, the Saud's never built one school. Just "out sourced" their Wahabbi terrorists into each and every mosque around the world. Their money travelled. And, local imams? Couldn't compete.

So that's the change you see now. And, nothing impedes it now, either.

Heck, even though we have an air force, and ships at sea; James Baker wants to give the Saud's $8-billion worth of military upgrades?

Why do they prosper when they gave us 9/11? The Japs didn't prosper when they gave us December 7, 1941, ya know. It's a Day to live in INFAMY.

Different presidents. Different motivations. And, a disinterested public, at best.

Anyway, back to the 1980's. When Osama saw the gold, for free, that we laid down in Afghanistan. He almost got that one, too! As an outpost to his insanity.

BUT. You see, Afghan's export HEROIN. They still do. And, the American roads, that we built. So that our TOW missiles, and such, could be directed at all the crap the soviets were dragging in by air ... Where we were taking out their air traffic, as they tried to reinforce their troops on the ground ...

Well, what do you know.

ROADS TO NOWHERE. Except it still works great for the drug traffic-kateers. And, it's a very lucrative business.

As a matter of fact, all of Western trade; as soon as we began using sails, and sending ships to sea; it what would become known as the "Spice Islands." FOOLED ME! I thought cinnamon. Stuff like that. But, no siree! It was traffic in HALLUCINAGINS.

So, unlike the American Indians, in them thar parts they didn't need our liquor. They had opium to drive away the blues. And, that trade was LUCRATIVE.

Keep in mind that LUCRATIVE is what underwrites wars. You can't have them without MONEY.

And, we're still paying a price. But a lot of Americans have grown suspect.

Me? I'm listening to HOUSE OF BUSH / HOUSE OF SAUD on tape. In my car. And, you'd hear me saying: A-HA. Now, I get it.

But who knows? If Bush is in a dive, why think the Saud's get away Scot Free? They're not Scot's, ya know?

But don't you see? Every time we kill one bearded, one-;legged top commander of the Taliban, it creates twenty more bearded, one-legged top commanders of the Taliban... or something...

Lightwave,

Once again I find myself in complete agreement with you - you simply have said it all with this posting.

This was a big fish to take down for NATO, the U.S. and Afghan troops. Knock Knock, Omar....better double check your door (or cave opening) tonight.

Supporting world peace: One carefully aimed round at a time. Mullah Dadullah? Sounds like a character on the Hamas version of Sesame Street! Maybe that's what's on right after the AK-47 Mickey Mouse Club in Palestine...

Carol, more Saudsa obsession? Yawn

The libs at HuffPo are having a field day with this. I know I don`t have to go into detail about how they are reacting to this news.

Richard,

Let me guess:

1/3rd are questioning the timing

1/3rd are claiming it's not really Dadullah

1/3rd are saying it doesn't matter because global warming's going to kill us all, anyway

I wonder if this guy being dead will stop the violence as well as killing Zarqauwi in Iraq ended the trouble there..

Oh sorry.

Drudge is playing a pelosi comment; where she blames the Iraq failure, not on the troops. But on Bush.

This is something in "hiding" out there.

While Cheney is in Riyadh. And, trying to get The Saud's $8-billion in top new military hardware. Why? Because supposedly we're pulling out in 6 months. Andm Cheney told the Saud's "it's time to double-down" on those "bets."

Ya know, something's gone wrong!

While, yes. It makes some people yawn.

It's a big world out there; and there's lots of opinions. Not just one. There's no sorority that works in grabbing people into groups. Where they stave off bad news, by "yawning in unison."

As to Afghanistan, I'm not making it up. They're in the heroin business. It is the place that "squeeze the russians, in an unwinnable war." It IS where Osama got his military wings. While America supplied him with the training. And, such a big supply of arms and missiles, that "extras" started showing up in other markets. The Afghans black-marketeer'ed their extra stock.

Anyway, I did hear that Afghanistan used the roads the American engineers built (and provided) ... With the Saud's by the way, the company hired to do the "engineering." And, these same roads work for the drug traffic-kateers. Why is this so hard to accept? What goes on in Afghanistan? They don't like us. And, the arabs, for ages, have enjoyed fleecing westerners. So what's new?

Yes. We had to do something.

Yes. Bush had a lot of American support.

But it's gone away.

As I said, the departures are like those you see in a stage show; where people get unhappy. And, one by one, they walk out of the theater.

As to Dadullah. What can I say? There are more cockroaches where that came from.

Afghanistan still isn't seeking out the 20th Century. They're still people deep in the past. And, very tribal.

One thing General Grant said, was that you have to fight with extreme force. To get your opponents to SURRENDER.

Without surrender? What will you get?

I know we have an air force. And, a great navy. But you cannot keep thinking it's all you need. (Let alone also giving the Saud's the kids of up-to-date hardware that's planned.)

Did Cheney go to Riyadh because things are going well? NO.

The hatred for us in that area of the world runs high.

What we're doing there is NOT MAKING US ANY FRIENDS. And, we are encouraging them to hate us more. Because we have more than 7-million arab citizens in the USA. That'a a voting block.

We're getting it internally. THEY ARE NOT.

While, yes. I'm glad the killed one of the bad guys. But if I had to bet? I think it doesn't change the scenery. It looks the same. It's huge in size. And, the people themselves aren't motivated.

Or, if you think they're "motivated," what do you think tempts them? We've been "there" five years. And, I guess, if Bush didn't hit this "invisible wall," we could be there for 20 years more.

But in a democracy? You need the People! They'll follow a leader they trust!

Heck, in WW2? A sick FDR won his 4th race, so sick he couldn't even campaign.

While in Iraq, these savages have kidnapped 3-American soldiers. FOR MOTHER'S DAY! How come they know how to get under our skin? And, we have no idea how to kick them back?

Oh, also from Drudge. McConnell, the minority "opposite" of Pelosi, has just said "we will leave Iraq as soon as the people vote! So? The exit is gonna be a vote?

Anyway, for what it's worth. Pelosi has said this "loss" is not due to our soldiers! (Who aren't given bullets to use, anyway.) But to the COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

The storm clouds have formed.

Mitch McConnell is the minority chair in the senate. Harry Reid's "opposite." And, up at Lucianne is a post from Reuters that says he's UPSET at what's going on Iraq.

No. Not the same as Afghanistan.

But you're dealing with an intertwined military endeavor. (Yes, we're way better doing what we're doing in Afghanistan!) Including the involvement of the UN troops. As well as the "small units" that "intergrate" into the field.

At least I wanted to fix the error.

EXCUSE me, who said death of Zarqawi would end all violence in Iraq? Link please.