U.S. Threatens Afghans Over Kidnapped GI

U.S. Threatens Afghans Over Kidnapped GI

www.cbsnews.com

At least two Afghan villages have been blanketed with leaflets warning that if an American soldier kidnapped by the Taliban two weeks ago isn't freed, "you will be targeted."

Villagers near the border of two volatile provinces, Ghazni and Paktika, tell CBS News' Sami Yousafzai that aircraft dropped the leaflets during the past several days.

Military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed that the leaflets were produced at Bagram Air Base, the primary U.S. installation in AfghanistOn the other side, an image shows Western troops breaking into a house. The rest of the message

(visit the link for the full news article)

Is this how far we resort to such things? It seems to me that since the Obama administration took over, the military has been more ruthless than under Bush. It seems to me that Obama is a freaking liar about talking and negotiating with our enemies. You think Obama would have negotiate with the Taliban with the release of the soldier be releasing a few hundred or thousands of Taliban fighters. Threatening the Afghan people who have no knowledge of the American captive is not the way to go.

www.cbsnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The philosophical question is: Is threatening civilians in these towns a war crime or an act of terrorism?

I'm not so sure I buy it. The Taliban DOES appear to be doing pretty much the same thing already. Warning the people that if they help Americans, they'll be killed.

But why not? Lets kill a few MORE thousand Afghanis for the life of one. Justifiable, right? I'm sure that the Afghanis have actually SPLIT UP this missing guy into about twenty thousand pieces and they are ALL keeping a piece of him. They should ALL pay. They are filthy dogs. Let's kill them all. [/sarcasm]

The Afghan people are just in the middle of a terrible situation. They can't win. The 'terrorists' and the elite are the only winners.

From the article....

Military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias confirmed that the leaflets were produced at Bagram Air Base, the primary U.S. installation in Afghanistan, and distributed in the region. She told CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark, however, that they were distributed by hand, not aircraft.

Like it makes a difference how they were distributed. They could have been delivered by a clown on a bike with a funny hat for all i care, this is not the way to win hearts and minds with the innocent Afghan's there.

Mathias told Clark that another leaflet was dropped from aircraft in Ghazni and Paktika which notifies locals that a U.S. soldier is missing and requests any information on his whereabouts.

Mathias' colleague, Lt. Com. Christine Sidenstricker, said no threats are made in the leaflet which was air-dropped. The image shows an unidentified U.S. soldier (not the one who was kidnapped) sitting on the ground and talking to Afghan children. On the front it reads: "One of our American guests is missing." On the back: "Return the guest to his home. Call us at…," according to the military's translation. This leaflet is seen below.

I don't understand this. Why post two different leaflets, and totaly admit to the one that was given out by hand?

I'm not that naive to think this sort of thing does not go on, i just think that when you have US officers admiting to these kind of leaflets, you can't blame the people there for turning against us.

How many houses are going to be destroyed in the "targeting" to find this guy? How many kids are going to now grow up hating the coallition forces if they do this?

And they wonder why so many people say that we'll never win over there?

Sad.

CX.


[edit on 16/7/09 by CX]

They don't play by the rules so we cannot either.

Whether we should be in the "game" in the first place is the question. We are however.

reply to post by jonny2410


I'm with you. It is cold and heartless but I would make an example out of these terrorists to the effect that nobody would ever want to be apart of them out of fear. Yes this probably makes me a horrible person but if it saved thousands of lives and stopped the bloodshed of a few hundred years then I would be for it. War is a cold heartless beast that prays above the lives of people not even involved and makes hell for any that bare witness, I would do what ever it took to keep that beast at bay.

reply to post by whoshotJR


Spot on. Unfortunately we are in this war and that means kill or be killed, by any means available, its all about survival.

Its a tragedy that civilians will die but our security comes first in my view (sounds bad but i put myself first).

[edit on 16-7-2009 by jonny2410]

Originally posted by whoshotJR
reply to post by jonny2410

 

I'm with you. It is cold and heartless but I would make an example out of these terrorists to the effect that nobody would ever want to be apart of them out of fear.

Thats fair enough....but these leaflets weren't dropped to the terrorists.

They don't know where the terrorists are, otherwise i'm assuming they'd have got them by now.

It's like a terrorist hiding away in your neighbourhood somewhere, and the army dropping leaflets on your front porch saying if they don't get the terrorist then you're gonna be targeted.

Is that fair? What if these civillians really don't know where the bad guys are? Or is that just part of the parcel of war?

CX.

reply to post by CX


I don't know but it could just be bluffing. I mean if i knew where a US soldier was i would help out for fear of my family being targeted.

I imagine we would not bomb them and if we did that would be pointless.

Bottom line for me though is, bar complete targeting of civilians deliberately we should do everything possible to stop those scum beheading the soldier (if it hasn't already been done).

reply to post by CX


I would say its fair. Start blowing up stuff in my neighborhood and have a group of thugs starting to kidnap and go to war with one of the best equipped militaries in the world and I would be gone. I wouldn't care about my house and my stuff, I would just leave.

If I know the guy at the end of the street is causing everyone in the neighborhood to get targeted then I would either handle him myself or let the people who wanted to know the info.

Flip this around and lets give it a scenario. The Chinese are dropping these leaflets in my area and saying if I don't aid them in outing the military in my area then I will be attacked( we would assume the US has been over ran and the military is broken into small groups trying to protect us. Well I would be arming myself and joining the fight so I'm not much of a civilian at that point and would have made my bed, time to lie in it. I couldn't blame them for telling me to join them or face death.

They won't kill the villagers, it's just a way to get people who know to help or get them to try and figure out info, so they or their family will not "die." Empty threat

[edit on 16-7-2009 by walsbg22]

.... These people are so primitive the only thing they would understand is violence and fear. How do you fight a mindless dog ??? with a big freaking stick is how.

.... Perhaps if we played by their rules they wouldn't be so inclined to do such things.

... I hate to say it, .... but if their goal is to terrorize, .... perhaps we should show them what terror really is.

... I guess it depends on my mood, ... on the other hand, we shouldn't even be there...... let the primates beat eachother with sticks.

Originally posted by walsbg22
They won't kill the villagers, it's just a way to get people who know to help or get them to try and figure out info, so they or their family will not "die." Empty threat

[edit on 16-7-2009 by walsbg22]

By threatening to target them?

Way to go to win the Afghan people over.

I missed where it told the Afghan people on the leaflet that they wouldn't really target them?

With the way civillians have been hit lately, what makes you think these civillians will not be thinking these leaflets are telling the truth, and that they will indeed be targeted or hunted?

Either way, it's not the best way of winning the civillians over is it?

CX.

reply to post by CX


This is about saving a soldier not winning over afghans at this moment.

Originally posted by walsbg22
reply to post by CX

 

This is about saving a soldier not winning over afghans at this moment.

I appreciate that. It doesn't mean you lose sight of your morals and objectives while you are trying to save the soldier.

Maybe i've gone soft in my old age. I appreciate your opinion though.

CX.

Originally posted by whoshotJR
I'm with you. It is cold and heartless but I would make an example out of these terrorists

Okay let's dissect your logic

Make an example of a given area with many civilians

so basically, make an example out of innocent bystanders through terroism?

do you even know what that makes YOU?

EDIT: By the way, does anyone know the name of the captured soldier?

Once again.... Does anyone know the name of the captured soldier?

[edit on 16-7-2009 by ModernAcademia]

There were 2 leaflets dropped , one said," If you do not return our soldier you will be targeted,"which was meant towards the kidnappers AND those who help them. the second was ," if you know where our soldier is please call us" . And there was a reward.There was no, WE WILL KILL YOUR PEOPLE IF YOU DON'T HAND HIM OVER crap. Come on. Seriously. Come out of your basements and learn a thing or 2 about Psyops for christsakes.

Originally posted by ModernAcademia

EDIT: By the way, does anyone know the name of the captured soldier?

Once again.... Does anyone know the name of the captured soldier?

I must admit, during my second post on this topic, the thought crossed my mind that this was quite impersonal talking about this without using the soldiers name.

So after your above comment, i Googled it. I can't find it anywhere. They say he was a private first class, but will give no other details due to the nature of the event.

Not that it makes a great deal of difference IMO. As an ex soldier myself, i know that people will feel bad for soldiers that are injured/killed/captured, yet hardly any know the names of the lads involved.

Sometimes this is because they just don't know, sometimes this is because deep down they couldn't give a damn bas it has nothing to do with them directly.

I'll wager few here know the names of the eight British soldiers that died this week, or the other one that has been reported dead today without Googling it.

Sad, but fact i'm afraid.

Edit to add from Source:

The missing soldier has not been identified by the military.

So unless anyone has personal knowledge of this soldier, none of us can be blamed for not knowing his name.

CX.

[edit on 17/7/09 by CX]

Those damned Afghis! How dare they! They should be turned into glass! They did 911. Now they're kidnapping instead of laying down like the politicians before their goldman sachs masters! We must destroy them and crush them, see them driven before us till we hear the lamentation of their women.

[edit on 17-7-2009 by American_Soviets]