Afghanistan Villages Threatened By US Military Over Kidnapped Soldier

In the aftermath of a US soldier's abduction by Afghan Taliban forces, the US military is disbursing leaflets in two towns near particularly dangerous areas, which threaten villagers with the prospect of being "targeted" or "hunted" if they do not return the soldier safe and sound, CBS News reports. The leaflet has a picture of a languid looking US soldier hanging his head on one side, and reads "If you do not free the American soldier, then..."; when the card is flipped over, there is a picture of soldiers breaking down the door of small stone hut and a caption that reads, "...then you will be targeted."

The leaflet is one of two kinds that were scattered about the villages. The other is reported to be far less threatening and simply asks for any information anyone may have on the soldier's whereabouts, according to the CBS report.

CBS also confirmed with Capt. Elizabeth Mathias that the leaflets were indeed printed at the Bagram Air Base and distributed throughout the two villages, however she claims that the statement reads "...then you will be hunted," as if being "hunted" is somehow better than being "targeted." From CBS News:

The new leaflet represents a broader, direct warning to local people in the region where the U.S. soldier was seized. Villagers from near the Paktika-Ghazni border told CBS News the papers were found stuck in trees and littering roofs in the area.

The question is, will its stern message help win the missing soldier's freedom, or just antagonize the local people who could help, or hurt, that effort.

The CBS account is in stark contrast to the new US strategy in Afghanistan under Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, which aims to win the goodwill of Afghan villagers--not just annihilate Taliban militants--especially in rural areas more prone to attracting a Taliban presence.

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Comments

[ltctmi]

I am now sitting in a motel l near an army base where a loved one is stationed. I watch soldiers going to McDonalds, getting gas, and shopping in the stores. Soon many of them will be deployed to Afghanistan. I am thankful that they are preparing protect our freedoms by fighting the terrorists abroad. It is my prayer that they will return safely to their families and friends. To soldiers who are reading this, I thank you for your service to our country.

[MemoryAlpha]

Premise that we are threatening to adopt the Israeli strategy of Collective Punishment:
Not exactly a good idea.

Observation:
Civilians are dying at a rate of 50 to 1 legitimate military target with Predator drone attacks, even before this, anyway.

[Tuckerndfw]

When did the "war on terror" become a war against the Taliban?

The Taliban is Afghanistan's gov't, they are not terrorists or al qaida.

Shouldn't Congress declare war on Afghanistan if we are going to wage war on their gov't (that we helped establish)?

[PitBull6]

Pretty much on Day 1 when the Taliban refused to hand over Al Qaeda. They threw in their lot with terrorists and got labled such.

[Tuckerndfw]

According to the CIA World Factbook, over 70% of Afghans are illiterate.

Good luck dropping leaflets. The locals probably use them to start fires since they can't read them.

[johnjmccarthy]

During WWII Hitler ordered the deaths of 50 to 100 civilians in the Eastern European countries for every German soldier killed by the Partisans.

This current order to free one American kidnapped in Afghanistan or face reprisals smacks of the war crimes committed by the Nazi's in WWII.

Appointed by President Truman, the lead prosecutor at The Nuremberg International War Crimes Tribunal was Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, who said the following in his opening remarks to the jury: "The standards by which we judge these defendants (Nazi's) today are the standards by which we shall be judged tomorrow."

Then we hanged them.

Tomorrow is today.
John McCarthy

[Jeff Daniel]

Hunting those that kidnapped a soldier is NOT the same as saying 100 of your villagers will be round up and shot!

Hell if i lose my dog i put out leaflets..­. Relax John.

Just curious... how would you have handled it if it were you in the position of one of your mates had been taken? Assuming you have a clue what it means to be in combat and see your friends die. please keep that in mind as you answer... (I would ask you to please not comment on whether we should be there or not as it is a moot point to make... we are there, like it or not.) i just want to hear what you think should be done.

[ltctmi]

Well said, Jeff. I have a family member who will be deployed to Afghanistan before the end of the year. If any soldier is captured by the enemy, I would hope the army will do all they can to bring the soldier back alive. War is ugly, sadly sometimes a necessary ugliness.

[FormerlyRadical]

To get a better understanding of what our soldiers are up against, you should read up on what the Taliban do to those who oppose them. The video mentioned above

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/07/video_taliban_execut.php

is an example of extremist Taliban retribution for disloyalty. It shows two beheaded lieutenants of Pir Samiullah and a very dead Pir Samiullah last December. More recently, they executed a moderate Taliban leader Qari Zainuddin for opposing the violence of Baitullah Mehsud.

http://www.afpax.com/index.php/post/7755/Baitullah_Mehsud_Opponent_Assassinated

And you try to say we are threatening local villagers with our leaflets. Do you even care that you grossly misrepresent the efforts of our rescue mission? How would you go about this? Perhaps by sending a copy of your post???? Personally, I wish we could swap hostages -- trade you for that poor soldier...­...

[CigarGod]

Don't try to justify our invasion and illegal collective punishment, but comparing our practices to a culture that is not familiar to us and whose practices shock us...but are common to the region....­not just common for the Taliban.

We have a long history of colonialist action toward the region and you theink we a are there for altruistic reasons.

To try to characterize the attempt to rescue an invading soldier as some sort of high moral purpose fits your programming, but not reality.

[Jeff Daniel]

funny thing is... if they were your Government you wouldn't be able to express that opinion. You should Thank the next one of those "Invading soldiers" for that very freedom.

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
~George Orwell

[Paulo1]

The doctrine of collective responsibility is very ill thought of. It is the slippery slope to Nazi glory.

Mind you it also produces very impressive results.

Any officer who contemplates this measure should be sent for a year of military history. Any that actually give these orders should be in prison.

[CigarGod]

Yep.

[toomuchtolose]

Paul01

Didn't this happen in Vietnam? If the villagers did anything to help the Americans, the Viet Cong would kill everyone in the village and then set fire to it. Both sides were sending very clear messages, but it just puts the villagers in an impossible position. They are not part of either army. They are considered cowards if they don't help "our side." Let the armies fight other armies. Leave the civilians alone. They must be living in perpetual terror.

[OliverTwist]

Reprisals against the civilian population are war crimes.

A court martial would be appropriate.

Based on US military behavior over the last few years in dealing with other disgraceful actions it is not clear that there are sufficient vestigates of honorable leadership in the US military to drive appropriate action.

Too bad.

[PitBull6]

What is the reprisal in this case? Who would you put before a court martial?

[JGDC]

People, is it really that much of a stretch to think that we will target (which does not mean murder) villages suspected to have our soldier? Personally, I think leaflets are a bad idea because they warn the populace of an operation.­.. potentially risking movement of the hostage. Also, the effect of leaflets in a predominantly illIiterate community is negligible.

[CigarGod]

28% literacy rate...and then word of mouth still works prett good....an­d don't forget...p­ictures are the international language.

[mazzetta]

still around trying to "win hearts and minds" in the Bush way?

what about if they answer: "RETURN MILITANTS OR BE "TARGETED" and start bombing civilians too... what's the difference between bombing the London Tube or a civilians in village down an Afghan valley where there're no gunmen?

[mergina]

We are forced to live through all of this because of our Karma? The very reason we had to live through Cheney and Bush, THE REASONS we are at war here and at War Profiteering in Iraq.

[AirViceMarshalPark]

I recall a case during WWII when British fliers with sensitive information were being held in a Gestapo building and were being tortured to talk. The RAF sent Mosquito bombers in to destroy the building and kill everybody in it, both British and German.

Don't think that the US has less resolve.

[robXdion]

It's pretty pathetic when stories like these are posted so many of you (who never served in the military) actually cheer against your fellow countrymen as if you're a mob welcoming their deafhs. But you want servicemembers to go save silly journalists or you smugly call them ccwards (Bill Maher). . . but you couldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight.

[CigarGod]

Calling people who stand for the observance of law, a "mob", "against" "serviceme­mbers.." etc. is completely missing the point.

Maybe you need to go back and read your oath....an­d a few of the rules of war.

btw, those of us who have serve or have served, should guard our laws more fiercely than others...b­ecause it is our actual duty.

[gbrooks]

You, sir, are a fine piece of humanity and deserve all good things that comes your way. Bravo.

[PitBull6]

Maybe you should read what he wrote. He didn't call anyone a mob ("as if you're a mob"), just noted how alarmist articles like this draw out the worst in some people. We already have people making ridiculous comparisons to the Nazis for simply putting out a warning that we're coming to look for this guy.

[NedroidPrime]

VERY WELL PUT ROB!!!! (as is par for you)

These civvies don't seem to realize that half the villagers will be so scared of it coming to fruition, that they will stop supporting­/toleratin­g the Taliban.

It is all a question of who they fear more. It doesn't matter how nice we are, if the enemy is holding a gu.n to their heads, they will not listen.

[CigarGod]

Got it.
It's a contest to see who can scar the civilians more.

So much for the hearts and minds thing.....

[gbrooks]

We "civvies" may not understand a lot about aspects of military operations, however, we do understand that if a military targeted grandma and killed her, we'd be a heck of a lot more likely to attempt to get some revenge. We might even join an organization that would help us avenge her death.

It's called "blowback," and it's why bin Laden and al Qaeda hit us in the first place. Every troop should have to understand that concept.

[CigarGod]

Yep.
We have been exploiting Afghanistand for many decades.
U.S.A.I.D. is one of those organizations with a nice name, but ulterior motives.

[LuckyGrad68]

You want to get the guy back. At the start they wanted a prisoner swap who knows..a hundred to one. What's the problem here from our side if we're going to let them escape dressed as women rather than kill innocents as I read we just did? I don't know if they were really willing or not. I hope I'm wrong and I hope it works.
What you don't want and probably already do have in Afghanistan are two sides fighting for two different reasons...­A kid at Da Nang University complaining about communism 40 years later..You were here? Yeah down the road. You know we weren't really fighting for communism, we were fighting against colonialis­m..That's strange, we weren't fighting for colonialism at all..we were fighting against communism. A million and a half Asians and 60,000 of us died and both of us were wrong about why the other was fighting. They act like friends kidnap one of us and then won't tell. This has all happened before.

[CigarGod]

Roger your frustration.

[GalenL]

Actually I think they were demanding military withdrawal. Not that I think our response is in any way shape or form a good idea.

[cliffhammond]

If this report is true then it's violation of the new counterinsurgency strategy being deployed since the top brass at the Pentagon under Bush was purged of its thugs and cowboys. Someone is in trouble. The new strategy values above all winning the faith and trust of the civilian population.