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UK troops destroy al-Qaeda caves
- Thread starter beoram
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Thank God for the UK, our one true European ally. Spain hasn't been doing a shabby job of rounding up the shady characters within their country, though.
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Thanks for link, Beo.
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Mellow Chaos, I am sorry, but England is NOT in Europe.
Or maybe, not sure, the discussion has been since the 100 years war, even they do not know.
Sorry, could not resist.
Or maybe, not sure, the discussion has been since the 100 years war, even they do not know.
Sorry, could not resist.
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Hello Mellow:
As the only Spaniard (That I know of ) in the cantina I feel obliged to defend my country.
I wish we could round up all al-qaeda terrorists in Spain in one week, but sadly, we have another terrorist group in northern Spain, in the Basque country, killing somewhere around 120-150 persons a year for the last 35 years and the police is more focused on them, though I must say that many al-qaeda terrorist were detained since 9-11.
The second problem that Spain has is that it is a bridge between Europe and North-Africa, and for that reason there is a huge Arabic population living in the country.
The same feelings you have about the ragheads responsible for 9-11 I have both for them and for the Basque terrorist. In some occasions I would like to follow less the democratic way and more the gurka way.
Alex
As the only Spaniard (That I know of
) in the cantina I feel obliged to defend my country. I wish we could round up all al-qaeda terrorists in Spain in one week, but sadly, we have another terrorist group in northern Spain, in the Basque country, killing somewhere around 120-150 persons a year for the last 35 years and the police is more focused on them, though I must say that many al-qaeda terrorist were detained since 9-11.
The second problem that Spain has is that it is a bridge between Europe and North-Africa, and for that reason there is a huge Arabic population living in the country.
The same feelings you have about the ragheads responsible for 9-11 I have both for them and for the Basque terrorist. In some occasions I would like to follow less the democratic way and more the gurka way.
Alex
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"T"...I was commenting on how your motherland has really done a GREAT job in rounding up al-Q'aida characters. It probably is all the practice you've had hunting down the Basque separatists. I feel awful for any country that has to live with terrorism, even if you're not in the region affected. And don't tell me the Palestinians are victims of terrorism. They are victims of themselves. No place is immune, anywhere now. It can spill over at any time.
I have a very bad feeling about this.
There's an old Greek saying, "shout and set up a trophy"; it means, pretend you've scored a significant victory when in fact you've achieved nothing.
The British troops involved did not make contact with the enemy. Probably just as well. British troops have been in these parts before; likewise Russian troops, and others, over the centuries. A large number of them never made it home. The Afghans know exactly how to fight this kind of war on their own turf - retreat, wait a bit, sneak back and pick 'em off piecemeal; and so far they've never been beaten. The lesson of history is, don't fight a protracted ground war in the mountains of Afghanistan unless you're tired of life.
The modern British soldier carries a hundredweight of junk on his back, has poor high-altitude training and has neither the equipment nor the training to shoot at anything further than 300 yards away. In the mountains of Afghanistan, where the advantages of hi-tech pushbutton warfare don't really apply, he's little more than an inviting target on legs. The Afghans are *very* good shots.
(The last time the British were in those parts, the Somerset Light Infantry, with a number of my relatives & ancestors in their ranks, got horribly mauled playing this game. Now Marines from our local camp at Norton Fitzwarren are out in the same place facing the descendants of the same men. History is a harsh teacher, and doesn't forgive those who neglect their homework)
I'm as committed to the war against terrorism as the next man; which is why I'm completely opposed to this phase of the plan of campaign. Sending squaddies to stand at the wrong end of the shooting gallery is tempting providence in a big way. If any significant number of British soldiers are killed, be in no doubt whatsoever that British public opinion will change dramatically, with a great deal of help from the UK media (their proud motto, No Back Left Unstabbed); and our government, who at the best of times have all the moral fiber of a bowl of custard, will lose no time in pulling out of the alliance. This will represent a serious propaganda victory for the Taleban and encourage them to keep up their murderous activities.
By the same token, I don't like the thought of US ground troops getting involved in this sort of warfare. I have much greater faith in their ability to survive and get the job done, and in the courage and determination of the American people. But I can't help feeling that there's a terrible danger here of snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.
There's an old Greek saying, "shout and set up a trophy"; it means, pretend you've scored a significant victory when in fact you've achieved nothing.
The British troops involved did not make contact with the enemy. Probably just as well. British troops have been in these parts before; likewise Russian troops, and others, over the centuries. A large number of them never made it home. The Afghans know exactly how to fight this kind of war on their own turf - retreat, wait a bit, sneak back and pick 'em off piecemeal; and so far they've never been beaten. The lesson of history is, don't fight a protracted ground war in the mountains of Afghanistan unless you're tired of life.
The modern British soldier carries a hundredweight of junk on his back, has poor high-altitude training and has neither the equipment nor the training to shoot at anything further than 300 yards away. In the mountains of Afghanistan, where the advantages of hi-tech pushbutton warfare don't really apply, he's little more than an inviting target on legs. The Afghans are *very* good shots.
(The last time the British were in those parts, the Somerset Light Infantry, with a number of my relatives & ancestors in their ranks, got horribly mauled playing this game. Now Marines from our local camp at Norton Fitzwarren are out in the same place facing the descendants of the same men. History is a harsh teacher, and doesn't forgive those who neglect their homework)
I'm as committed to the war against terrorism as the next man; which is why I'm completely opposed to this phase of the plan of campaign. Sending squaddies to stand at the wrong end of the shooting gallery is tempting providence in a big way. If any significant number of British soldiers are killed, be in no doubt whatsoever that British public opinion will change dramatically, with a great deal of help from the UK media (their proud motto, No Back Left Unstabbed); and our government, who at the best of times have all the moral fiber of a bowl of custard, will lose no time in pulling out of the alliance. This will represent a serious propaganda victory for the Taleban and encourage them to keep up their murderous activities.
By the same token, I don't like the thought of US ground troops getting involved in this sort of warfare. I have much greater faith in their ability to survive and get the job done, and in the courage and determination of the American people. But I can't help feeling that there's a terrible danger here of snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.
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Thanks for opinion from the UK.