As stated on previous occasions on this Blog, we’re ten years into this war and continue to suffer setbacks. This war reminds me of when a great football team with incredible talent plays the worst team in the league and barely scratches out a win or possibly even loses, as they play down to the level of their competition. This is what the United States is doing in Afghanistan. We clearly have the better prepared and equipped personnel, superior intelligence, more advanced and sophisticated weaponry, and yet we can’t win. The reason: we don’t use our full military might. We’re afraid of killing some rag-head growing opium, being viewed as bullies and/or inhumane, not respectful of Islam; whatever. In essence, we’re more concerned about how we are perceived by the “global community” than we are about defeating the enemy. This is no way to fight a war. In my view, when one engages in warfare the primary and only objective should be to annihilate the enemy at all costs, and to do so as rapidly and efficiently as possible; period. If this is not the goal, it is best to just stay home.
These dragged-out wars are never won, Vietnam is clearly an example of this. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan says it will re-open a key border crossing used to ferry supplies to NATO and U.S. troops in Afghanistan “with immediate effect.”
It wasn’t yet clear if trucks could immediately start crossing the border Saturday, because technical and coordination issues may have to be resolved first.
Pakistan closed the northwest crossing at Torkham on Sept. 30, the same day a NATO airstrike killed two Pakistani soldiers along the border. The U.S. has apologized for that strike.
The Foreign Ministry statement said authorities on both sides of the border were working “to ensure smooth resumption of the supply traffic.”
The delay had exposed stranded supply trucks to militant attacks.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen armed with a rocket torched 29 NATO oil tankers in southwestern Pakistan before dawn Saturday, the latest attack on the supply line for international troops in Afghanistan since Pakistani authorities closed a key border crossing amid a dispute with the United States.
Two responding police officers were wounded.
Local government official Abdul Mateen said the attack occurred in the area of Mithri, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. He said the attackers used guns and fired a rocket to destroy the tankers.
“We are facing problems in extinguishing the fire,” he said.
At least 10 gunmen were involved in the attack, police official Jamil Khan said. The oil tankers were parked near a roadside restaurant.
When local police responded, the gunmen fired on them before fleeing. One officer was wounded by a bullet, while another suffered slight burns as he tried to stop the blaze, Mateen said.
Pakistan shuttered the border in Torkham on Sept. 30, following a NATO helicopter strike that killed two Pakistani border guards. Since then, there have been several attacks on supply convoys, including two in which militants torched 70 fuel tankers and killed a driver.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for such previous attacks and have demanded that the government permanently bar NATO and the U.S. from using its soil to transport supplies to Afghanistan.
The U.S. has apologized for the cross-border helicopter strike, but Islamabad has yet to open the border crossing at Torkham. A smaller crossing in the southwest has stayed open.
An Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that the government has decided it will reopen the Torkham crossing, but that it had not yet decided when.
He and another security official indicated it could be as early as Monday.
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Associated Press Writer Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad
