In Valley Where SEALs Died, U.S. Raids Boost Taliban Support

McClatchy:

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The 30 U.S. soldiers, many of them Navy SEALs, who died Saturday in the U.S. military's single biggest loss of the Afghan war, were operating in a Taliban-controlled valley where frequent U.S.-led night raids have won the insurgents popular support, area residents said Sunday.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[Monte924]

03:24 AM on 09/02/2011

Really this is what I can't stand about these wars; its not the terrorists that matter to me but the civilians. We go in there calling ourselves liberators but in the end we cause so much destruction to the civilian life that they start thinking they were better off with the terrorists. Loss of civilian life is morally intolerable; innocent lives must take priority. The loss of their lives are not even within our interests; While we may kill a bunch of terrorists we at the same time end up creating hatred against us and that in turn creates new enemies. When fighting any force you have to make certain you do everything in your power to limit harm to civilians and focus only on the enemies; even if it might be "less efficient" for getting the true enemies. Because if we have to kill so many civilians to get to our enemies then our efforts will be wasted; We end up doing more harm to innocent lives than the enemies we hunted down, and at the same time spread hatred and create new enemies who have a very legitimate reason to hate us.

[ewldest]

12:44 PM on 08/08/2011

A proper counter-insurgency strategy requires we convince the native population we share their interests and the insurgents do not, and that we are leaving quickly because we trust that population to defend its own interests if properly armed.
The US hasn't and cannot do this in Afghanistan - it is clear that we intend to remain there and throw our support to a small faction of that society that pleases us, while treating most Afghanistanis casually at best, callously when we think it necessary. We can never win hearts and minds that way.
Since our efforts there have already failed, I suggest we leave as quickly as possible - like tomorrorw.

[ewldest]

11:59 AM on 08/08/2011

The problem with any 'counter-insurgency' strategy is that the primary goal of the occupier must be to convince the native population under occupation that their interests are so significantly different from those of the insurgents that the insurgents can be viewed as an invading force, while providng ample evidence that the occupier has limited interest in the culture and is leaving ASAP.
We can't do that in Afghanistan. Despite the schools and hospitals we build there, most of our efforts and money go to propping up an illegitimate government and building bases that clearly demonstrate that we intend to remain in force for a long time to come. And instead of emphasizng beneficial native cultural fomations, we keep pushing Western culture on them. Meanwhile, we frequently attack the insurgents in a manner that shows callous disregard for the very lives of the Afghanistanis we wish to win over to our supposed cause, thus appearing as hypocrites, users, backstabbers.
In short, we are functioning like any other colonialist occupier.
I don't think we can recover the high ground we presumably had when we first invaded. I think we need to leave ASAP, like right now. If we continue as we are, we will face an ugly general uprising, or, at best, get mired in a swamp of lost lives and resources, and come away from it with nothing more to show for such loss but what we have now.

[WhistlingBlade]

10:43 AM on 08/08/2011

The Taliban is a threat to the multinational corporations that ALWAYS are behind the "wars" Americans have been dying,killing and destroying for since WW2. Why is it that America defines herself as a God fearing Christian nation ,yet her obsession for weapons and war are very telling truths about her truth nature.
America is a sick nation-spiritually ,financially and morally corrupt!

[rda1911a1]

11:26 AM on 08/08/2011

Well it's easy to put your money where your mouth is simply join Islam and fight with the taliban. However i don't think they have real reliable internet access or I-phone support

[dayzee10]

09:15 AM on 08/08/2011

Things are going so well in Afghanistan aren't they? Our leaders will never learn from history.Remember the Russians in Afghanistan? They supposedly were much more ruthless in their operations and they ended up going home with their tails between their legs. Afghanistan has never been conquered and never will, time for Americans to return home. It's easy......just declare victory one day and leave the next

[smiles4126]

09:01 PM on 08/08/2011

Not that it's any of my business to sit here and reply...but you do realize that the only reason the Russians left is becuase we went over there...helped Afghanistan kick them out...and then left. Had they not made attemps at hurting the US...long before 9/11...I'm not so sure we would would be there now. I could be wrong on that though. What we should have done doesn't matter now. We can't go back and change the past. But...like I said...it's really none of my business.

[dayzee10]

09:27 PM on 08/08/2011

If you live in America it is your business, my business and all the people's business.Yes the US did aid the Afghanis which in turn helped give the Taliban a start. Like I said declare victory and leave

[AndyWright68]

09:12 AM on 08/08/2011

The more this government threatens, invades and attacks weaker nations the more those people hate us and want to attack us. This government makes us less safe. The exact opposite of what people believe the role of government is.

[rda1911a1]

11:29 AM on 08/08/2011

No that is the role of government to seek out our enemies and kill them. Not provide foodstamps and welfare

[ewldest]

12:06 PM on 08/08/2011

That is so simplistic and silly, I'm assuming you're writing sarcastically.

[AndyWright68]

12:10 PM on 08/08/2011

You are confused. This government creates enemies by threatening and bombing all those who do not obey and/or take their bribes.

They only invade weaker countries and steal their resources. This government is nothing but a criminal institution of theft and violence.

[Paulo1]

08:04 AM on 08/08/2011

We have been in Afghanistan for ten years now and we are still fighting a guerrilla war using night raids? Somehow I don't think you can logically conclude we are winning.

The mission was to go in and kill Bin Laden. Accomplished. The current mission can only be defined as a success if you admit it is just to keep General's and military contractors employed.

[Sudip Rithik Datta]

09:29 AM on 08/08/2011

you told you that was the mission? the mission is deny extremists a safe-haven to train, killing one man does not do that.

[ewldest]

12:02 PM on 08/08/2011

The real mission is imposing military threat to control energy resources in the region to enhance the profits of multinational corporations - a really bad policy that leaves us weak, impoverished, and less influential in the long run.

[thomashusted]

07:41 AM on 08/08/2011

Of course the US for the most part are consider invaders and occupiers certainly not liberators. It was a similar view held by the Vietcong during the Vietnam war and look what happen there and the outcome will eventually be the same in Afghanistan along with the loss of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

[j72144]

07:36 AM on 08/08/2011

As our only true ally in the middle east I believe we should take a wait and see attitude in regars to Sept .peaceful or not, Hummas has never before been peaceful in its demonstrations

[GJR227]

06:55 AM on 08/08/2011

The only thing we are accomplishing in Afghanistan (and Iraq) is creating more reason for people in those Countries to hate us.

[WhatDaBleep]

06:02 AM on 08/08/2011

Forgotten Heroes: Navy SEAL Families
http://kitup.military.com/2011/08/forgotten-heroes-navy-seal-families.html

[1differentdrummer]

03:44 AM on 08/08/2011

How about we bring troops home?

[booshh]

04:45 AM on 08/08/2011

Oh, just bring the ones that one to come home and leave the rest that want to finish the job.

[ConsensusReality]

03:05 AM on 08/08/2011

until we get a draft back in place, politicians will have no problem feeding volunteers into their meat grinder

[booshh]

04:59 AM on 08/08/2011

They call us volunteers for a reason. I cared nothing for all the reasons our leaders proclaim for why we went to war. I, and many others, joined for the adventure of war and there's more soldiers who think like me in spite of all the media talking point reasons they give.

Sure, war is profitable, but the reason we go to war is much more visceral than that.

[ConsensusReality]

11:30 AM on 08/08/2011

I'm a Vietnam vet myself. When there's a draft and people get some skin in the game, it changes everything, and it would especially matter if there were no deferrments.

[marknez21]

03:04 AM on 08/08/2011

Today another HELICOPTER was shot by Taliban, no news about casualties.

[McGyver1]

10:00 AM on 08/08/2011

Probably with Iranian supplied, Russian made stingers.

[marknez21]

11:18 AM on 08/08/2011

Do you remember that Reagan supplied them, and he used to call them FREEDOM FIGHTER. Left over from Reagan and Bush father era.

[Steelhead6969]

01:30 AM on 08/08/2011

I would have never guessed killing old people and kids would turn their families against us. Why are we too dense to learn anything from the past...you know, like how well search and destroy missions worked to win the hearts and minds in Nam.

[wayne64]

01:41 AM on 08/08/2011

But it's so difficult to tell the good guys from the bad...and after awhile..when in doubt, you blow them all away.