• Operation Moshtarek announced: President publicly announces details of attack.
    113 replies, posted
[quote]US and allied commanders in Afghanistan are preparing for the biggest battle of the eight-year war in the town of Marja situated in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province. Its outcome will reveal the chances of success for President Obama's revamped Afghan strategy. The imminent Operation Moshtarak, which in Dari translates to Operation 'Together', will mobilise a force of up to 15,000 British, American, Canadian and Afghan troops to storm Marja, a town of 80,000 people and a Taliban stronghold in the country's south. The operation has been under way for several weeks, with preparations for the assault intensifying. Afghan and Western forces have announced their plans to the local population while moving into position. NATO command in Kabul put out a statement warning Afghan civilians in the town to remain in their homes once the assault is under way. No date for the main attack has been announced, but all signs indicate it will come soon. The publicity surrounding the upcoming offensive has given the Taliban time to bolster their defences in the town which are believed to include roadside bombs, mines and other improvised explosive devices hidden in surrounding irrigation ditches. An estimated 1,000 or more Taliban fighters are thought to be in the town. On Wednesday, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi vowed that the US and Afghan military forces will face a major battle to retake Marja. Afghan officials have said that they are prepared to support civilians fleeing the conflict. NATO and provincial authorities say fewer around 300 families have fled so far whilst the Red Crescent relief organisation says it has counted at least 450 families in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's provincial capital. The high number of civilians still thought to be in the town is provoking fears of heavy collateral damage. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that 'increasing numbers of war casualties' have already begun arriving at a clinic it runs in the town.[/quote] [B]Source:[/B] [url]http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/security_briefings/100210[/url] [quote]“The offensive, when it begins in earnest, will largely be conducted on foot. That's because the terrain surrounding Marjah is latticed with canals built by the U.S. a generation ago to expand agriculture to 250,000 acres in the Helmand River valley. It also gave the region the nickname "Little America." The canals and ditches created a network of bridges unable to support armored vehicles and gives the Taliban good places to hide IEDs — the top killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan — and snipers. They also turned the region into lush farmland that has proven ideal for growing opium-producing poppies,” Thompson writes. “Both sides predict the fight for Marjah could be brutal, with belts of IEDs believed to be buried along all major approaches to the town. Unlike earlier battles over towns and villages further east, where many Taliban are from Pakistan, the enemy in Marjah is largely local, which will further complicate the fight. ‘It's harder to separate the enemy from the people,’ a Pentagon planner says, ‘when they are the people.’”[/quote] [B]Source:[/B] [url]http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/09/around-the-web-the-fight-in-marjah-could-be-brutal/[/url] Obama's first major offensive is not only officially planned and underway, but details of the attack have been publicly announced to the citizens of the Marja, a large Afghani town. He's issued warnings to everybody within the city, pleading for all noncombatants to evacuate. This is a highly controversial decision on his part, as it's giving the large number of enemy combatants plenty of time to bolster their defenses- emplacing IEDs, landmines, roadside bombs, and all manner of booby traps in the path of our soldiers. Our forces are walking into an engagement where the enemy knows how many are coming, when they're coming, and what they plan to do. Friendly casualties are likely to be the highest experienced in a single engagement since the Battle of Fallujah. I hope our President feels that their lives are worth the positive reactions he's getting from the region for warning the people of the city in advance. To everybody taking part in Operation Moshtarak: good luck- and give 'em hell. My heart goes with you. [B]edit[/B] [I]I'm quite dumb. I misspelled "Moshtarak" in the title. :([/I]
Where the hell did this come from?
Hey, Big Dumb American. We've missed your posts. For a moment, I thought this was going to be about Iran, from all the news about them so far.
Wait...Canadians have an army? I wish them luck out there.
[QUOTE]Obama's first major offensive is not only officially planned and underway, but has been publicly announced to the citizens of the Marja, a large Afghani town. Friendly casualties are likely to be the highest experienced in a single engagement since the Battle of Fallujah. [/QUOTE] Fucking idiot. [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Flaming" - TH89))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=Emperorconor;20151361]Fucking idiot.[/QUOTE] Oh the irony is immense.
[QUOTE=Kidd;20151357]Wait...Canadians have an army? I wish them luck out there.[/QUOTE] HURF DURF HURF DURF you're funny
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;20151346]Hey, Big Dumb American. We've missed your posts. For a moment, I thought this was going to be about Iran, from all the news about them so far.[/QUOTE] I know, like an invasion force or something. That would be stunning. I guess it will probably be more lackluster.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;20151386]HURF DURF HURF DURF you're funny[/QUOTE] Thanks. :D What a weird speech impediment you have.
Positive reactions? More like the fucking lives of the civilians. And yes, I'd imagine it is worth it. Innocents come before soldiers. Always. That's the sacrifice you make when you become a soldier. Of course, I hope everyone survives and all enemy combatants are taken out with surgical precision. Death is always terrible, you can only hope for as little of it as possible I suppose.
[QUOTE=Emperorconor;20151361]Fucking idiot.[/QUOTE] :frogdowns:
[QUOTE=Kidd;20151407]Thanks. :D What a weird speech impediment you have.[/QUOTE] I do that when I'm turned on.
[QUOTE=djshox;20151375]Oh the irony is immense.[/QUOTE] Indeed.
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;20151419]I do that when I'm turned on.[/QUOTE] And what turns you on? :smug:
[QUOTE=Fables;20151435]And what turns you on? :smug:[/QUOTE] Babe, you don't even want to know.
Why announce the attack plans?
[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;20151409]Positive reactions? More like the fucking lives of the civilians. And yes, I'd imagine it is worth it. Innocents come before soldiers. Always. That's the sacrifice you make when you become a soldier. Of course, I hope everyone survives and all enemy combatants are taken out with surgical precision. Death is always terrible, you can only hope for as little of it as possible I suppose.[/QUOTE] The entrenched forces are doing everything in their power to prevent the people from fleeing. They're using them as human shields. I agree, innocents always come first, but we actually may be placing them in more danger by announcing our intentions. The enemy forces can't win in a shooting war. The only way they can win is by making our attack look as brutal as possible. The enemy combatants will almost certainly kill hundreds of civilians, just so Al Jazeera has something to show the world. It's weird, fighting an enemy who wins by dying. Obama's decision to announce the attack was never intended to save civilians- it's all political. He's doing it cover his bases. This time, when Al Jazeera shows all the dead civilians, America will be able to say we tried to help them. He's trying to take away the bite of the strongest weapon in their arsenal: public favor.
[QUOTE=Alvaldi;20151467]Why announce the attack plans?[/QUOTE] Read the article please.
[QUOTE=Alvaldi;20151467]Why announce the attack plans?[/QUOTE] Because it wouldn't be fair to just come in guns blazing and not tell the other team.
[QUOTE=Alvaldi;20151467]Why announce the attack plans?[/QUOTE] It could be a trick: Let everyone know you're going to attack and then don't. You attack afterwards, when they're not prepared. Then again, nobody these days seems to be that smart any more.
[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;20151409]Positive reactions? More like the fucking lives of the civilians. And yes, I'd imagine it is worth it. Innocents come before soldiers. Always. That's the sacrifice you make when you become a soldier. Of course, I hope everyone survives and all enemy combatants are taken out with surgical precision. Death is always terrible, you can only hope for as little of it as possible I suppose.[/QUOTE] Of course, but you don't tell EVERYONE our plans, and how were going to execute them. Put out take cover/evac warnings, don't tell them the plans. Especially in a war we're the enemy blends in with the civilians. They could pretty much just kidnap a bunch of civilians and lock them in at gunpoint so we could not attack said building without causing civilian casualties. It's not the first time they have used civilians as meat shields.
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;20151471]The entrenched forces are doing everything in their power to prevent the people from fleeing. They're using them as human shields. I agree, innocents always come first, but we actually may be placing them in more danger by announcing our intentions. The enemy forces can't win in a shooting war. The only way they can win is by making our attack look as brutal as possible. The enemy combatants will almost certainly kill hundreds of civilians, just so Al Jazeera has something to show the world.[/QUOTE] But people are fleeing. At least they have a god damned chance, rather than waking up in the middle of a military clusterfuck. We can only do everything in or power to save as many people as possible. That's what separates us from the people we're fighting.
I am off to bed. Keep us updated, BDA. :D
[QUOTE=OvB;20151505]Of course, but you don't tell EVERYONE our plans, and how were going to execute them. Put out take cover/evac warnings, don't tell them the plans. Especially in a war we're the enemy blends in with the civilians. They could pretty much just kidnap a bunch of civilians and lock them in at gunpoint so we could not attack said building without causing civilian casualties. It's not the first time they have used civilians as meat shields.[/QUOTE] Do you know exactly what was announced? I mean that as a genuine question, because without that information I can't comment on that. It's a choice between giving them a chance to escape or not giving them a chance to escape. Something's better than nothing.
[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;20151508]But people are fleeing. At least they have a god damned chance, rather than waking up in the middle of a military clusterfuck. We can only do everything in or power to save as many people as possible. That's what separates us from the people we're fighting.[/QUOTE] I hope as many people as possible escape. Those are prevented from fleeing, or are too stubborn to do so, will have little choice but to pray for their lives. As a side effect of this warning, Obama will undoubtedly authorize a large show of force. Our forces may not be able to bring in heavy armor, but there will still be massive amounts of firepower. The city will glow that night, and I only hope that those civilians still stuck within the town can find a safe place to hide from the fighting.
[QUOTE=Mr. Mcguffin;20151545]Do you know exactly what was announced? I mean that as a genuine question, because without that information I can't comment on that. It's a choice between giving them a chance to escape or not giving them a chance to escape. Something's better than nothing.[/QUOTE] Mainly going off BDA's OP: "Our forces are walking into an engagement where the enemy knows how many are coming, when they're coming, and what they plan to do." Other than that I have no idea.
[QUOTE=OvB;20151587]Mainly going off BDA's OP: "Our forces are walking into an engagement where the enemy knows how many are coming, when they're coming, and what they plan to do." Other than that I have no idea.[/QUOTE] Without specifics I can't really make a judgment. It could easily be hyperbole.
1,000 milita is actually a ridiculous amount when you think about it. Usually skirmishes are between 30 people
I feel bad for the people trapped in the city, waiting to live or die.
I'm hoping for a stalemate at least, though not really a complete defeat. If the militants can hold their own against this arrogant plan, that brings them another step closer to finally kicking the Americans out of their country.
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