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TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest'
A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. It did not make any headlines. It was just another incident among many in this volatile region. But it gives an insight into why the US-led coalition is having such difficulty defeating the insurgency that has affected much of eastern and southern Afghanistan for the past two years. It was 25 June. Second Lt Louis Fernandez had led seven members of his platoon to the top of Peak 2911. A distinctive, bulging mountain straddling the frontier, it gets its name from its height in metres. QUICK GUIDE Afghanistan The night before, a US artillery battery had shelled the peak after lights had been seen there. The suspicion was that insurgents might be using it as a launch site to fire rockets on American and Afghan troops - an almost daily occurrence for units based along the border. 'Taking fire' Lt Fernandez and his men from the 2/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been ordered to do a "battle damage assessment", to see if anything had been hit. An Afghan officer, Capt Mohammed Islamuddin, and two interpreters were with them. They found nothing except a well-travelled trail. They decided to follow it. As they moved down the path, Capt Islamuddin says he spotted a man in local clothes about 200-300 metres away, carrying a Kalashnikov. Staff Sgt McKenna Miller says he saw another man near some trees raising his Kalashnikov. Sgt Miller raised his weapon. "I asked for permission to fire." "I told Sgt Miller to shoot," says 22-year-old Lt Fernandez. "He pulled the trigger and hit the guy right in the head and put him down. "Immediately after, we started taking fire from another direction," he says. "That's when pretty much everything unravelled," says Sgt Miller, a veteran of Iraq and the Balkans. They realised they were up against "not two, but approximately 15 to 20 individuals", with a barrage of fire coming down on the US and Afghan troops. Where they were though, there was almost no cover. The only escape was to move back towards the summit, the soldiers taking it in turns to provide covering fire while others scrambled up the slope, fighting for breath in the thin air at this altitude. "I was starting to pray as I was running back," says Sgt Juan Carlos Coca, the unit's radio operator. "There were rounds flying everywhere." "We were definitely fighting for our lives," says Sgt Miller. Pursuers' advantage For Sgt Coca, this is his second time in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. In between, he was also in Iraq, in southern Baghdad. "I expected this to be the easiest deployment of the three," he admits. "But so far it's been the hardest. We've basically come to a hornets' nest, here on the border with Pakistan." The paratroopers say they were firing constantly to try to keep their assailants back. But "we were getting surrounded", says Sgt Coca. "And we had no comms at all. The mountain was blocking radio signals, so they couldn't call for back-up. In this terrain, their pursuers had the advantage. "They move a lot faster on these mountains than we do," says Lt Fernandez. "They know all the routes. And they're just in better shape when it comes to this. They're carrying no weight. We're carrying about 60 or 70 pounds (27kg-31kg) of equipment, so we're a lot slower." Their lightly loaded attackers came closer and closer. "They got within 20 or 30 metres," says Lt Fernandez. "You could see those little tan hats they wear. "We were hugging the dirt, most of the time just praying to God that He was there for us. And He was definitely there for us, to just have one guy take a ricochet round, with the amount of fire they were putting down on us." That one guy was Pte Ted Smith. A round hit him in the face, but went straight through his cheek. "Blood was just pouring out of him," says Sgt Miller, "but he just kept on firing." Fortress Pte Smith is expected to return to duty here soon at Camp Tillman - named after Pat Tillman, the American footballer who famously turned down millions of dollars to join the US military after 11 September but who died in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan in April last year. When you visit this small, heavily defended redoubt, it conjures up images of old French Foreign Legion fortresses deep in hostile North African rebel territory. Just across the border from the base - which sits near a tiny hamlet of mud-brick houses - is the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan. That has long regarded as one of the main areas where Taleban and also al Qaeda militants have been sheltering. There have been reports of Osama Bin Laden hiding there. Although Pakistani forces were involved in bloody clashes with some of these groups last year, there are concerns that many still remain and have even bolstered their numbers. Based on intelligence received afterwards, the US soldiers believe they killed eight of their attackers. But talking about the fire fight to the BBC a few days later, all of them say they were lucky not to have lost anyone. When they finally reached higher ground and safety "we were totally out of breath, we could barely speak. We had almost no ammunition left," says Lt Fernandez, who was also inspired by 9/11 to join the forces. He signed up on 14 September 2001. Up here, Sgt Coca could get through on the radio, to call for air support. A-10 aircraft arrived. But the soldiers say the pilots were not permitted to open fire with their machine gun, or drop any ordnance because the militants were in Pakistani territory. "That just totally frustrates all of us," says Sgt Coca. "It's easy for the enemy to shoot at us here in Afghanistan and then they just run a couple of hundred metres into Pakistan and we can't do anything. They're untouchable. "We have that problem all the time," he says. Sgt Miller agrees: "That's their safe haven, because they know that we can't go over the border and they try to use that to their advantage." The exact rules of engagement for US forces based along the border are secret. But it is clear from reports of different American operations that they do have some leeway. And at times during the battle at Peak 2911, this US unit did end up in Pakistani territory. But American troops are not allowed to chase attackers across the border. Lt Fernandez says if they are "in pursuit of an enemy" they sometimes call Pakistani government forces on the other side. But asked if US forces here feel they get help from the Pakistanis, he says: "I can't say that we do. No, not really." Madrassas Capt Islamuddin is more blunt. "Pakistan is interfering in Afghanistan. They are sending the bad guys here. They say there are cooperating, but they are not." Capt Islamuddin has been based on the border with his 3rd Battalion for the past five months and says he has seen many clashes. "Many of them are foreigners," he says, "not Afghans." It is a claim Afghan government officials often make about those behind the attacks across the south and east. But the evidence is often hard to find. Asked to give more detail, Capt Islamuddin says he has seen the bodies of many militants close up after battles he has been involved in. "There are some stupid Afghans among them," he says. "But most of them are Waziris [from Pakistan's Waziristan tribal agency], Chechens and Arabs. They are all coming from the madrassas [religious schools] in Pakistan." Officially, the US military says Pakistan is cooperating closely with its efforts to defeat the insurgency and US generals frequently praise their counterparts across the border. That is not how it appears to those on the frontline, to the young US and Afghan troops actually doing the fighting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4657645.stm -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. *Webzpider* Homo Dumb****ius : N onessential R etarded A mericans |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Chris, little speckled idiot, I told you a couple of years ago that this sort of
thing would happen, but no, you claimed "Pakestan is right behind us, now they are a democracy". sheesh America the Beautiful wrote: Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. It did not make any headlines. It was just another incident among many in this volatile region. But it gives an insight into why the US-led coalition is having such difficulty defeating the insurgency that has affected much of eastern and southern Afghanistan for the past two years. It was 25 June. Second Lt Louis Fernandez had led seven members of his platoon to the top of Peak 2911. A distinctive, bulging mountain straddling the frontier, it gets its name from its height in metres. QUICK GUIDE Afghanistan The night before, a US artillery battery had shelled the peak after lights had been seen there. The suspicion was that insurgents might be using it as a launch site to fire rockets on American and Afghan troops - an almost daily occurrence for units based along the border. 'Taking fire' Lt Fernandez and his men from the 2/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been ordered to do a "battle damage assessment", to see if anything had been hit. An Afghan officer, Capt Mohammed Islamuddin, and two interpreters were with them. They found nothing except a well-travelled trail. They decided to follow it. As they moved down the path, Capt Islamuddin says he spotted a man in local clothes about 200-300 metres away, carrying a Kalashnikov. Staff Sgt McKenna Miller says he saw another man near some trees raising his Kalashnikov. Sgt Miller raised his weapon. "I asked for permission to fire." "I told Sgt Miller to shoot," says 22-year-old Lt Fernandez. "He pulled the trigger and hit the guy right in the head and put him down. "Immediately after, we started taking fire from another direction," he says. "That's when pretty much everything unravelled," says Sgt Miller, a veteran of Iraq and the Balkans. They realised they were up against "not two, but approximately 15 to 20 individuals", with a barrage of fire coming down on the US and Afghan troops. Where they were though, there was almost no cover. The only escape was to move back towards the summit, the soldiers taking it in turns to provide covering fire while others scrambled up the slope, fighting for breath in the thin air at this altitude. "I was starting to pray as I was running back," says Sgt Juan Carlos Coca, the unit's radio operator. "There were rounds flying everywhere." "We were definitely fighting for our lives," says Sgt Miller. Pursuers' advantage For Sgt Coca, this is his second time in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. In between, he was also in Iraq, in southern Baghdad. "I expected this to be the easiest deployment of the three," he admits. "But so far it's been the hardest. We've basically come to a hornets' nest, here on the border with Pakistan." The paratroopers say they were firing constantly to try to keep their assailants back. But "we were getting surrounded", says Sgt Coca. "And we had no comms at all. The mountain was blocking radio signals, so they couldn't call for back-up. In this terrain, their pursuers had the advantage. "They move a lot faster on these mountains than we do," says Lt Fernandez. "They know all the routes. And they're just in better shape when it comes to this. They're carrying no weight. We're carrying about 60 or 70 pounds (27kg-31kg) of equipment, so we're a lot slower." Their lightly loaded attackers came closer and closer. "They got within 20 or 30 metres," says Lt Fernandez. "You could see those little tan hats they wear. "We were hugging the dirt, most of the time just praying to God that He was there for us. And He was definitely there for us, to just have one guy take a ricochet round, with the amount of fire they were putting down on us." That one guy was Pte Ted Smith. A round hit him in the face, but went straight through his cheek. "Blood was just pouring out of him," says Sgt Miller, "but he just kept on firing." Fortress Pte Smith is expected to return to duty here soon at Camp Tillman - named after Pat Tillman, the American footballer who famously turned down millions of dollars to join the US military after 11 September but who died in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan in April last year. When you visit this small, heavily defended redoubt, it conjures up images of old French Foreign Legion fortresses deep in hostile North African rebel territory. Just across the border from the base - which sits near a tiny hamlet of mud-brick houses - is the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan. That has long regarded as one of the main areas where Taleban and also al Qaeda militants have been sheltering. There have been reports of Osama Bin Laden hiding there. Although Pakistani forces were involved in bloody clashes with some of these groups last year, there are concerns that many still remain and have even bolstered their numbers. Based on intelligence received afterwards, the US soldiers believe they killed eight of their attackers. But talking about the fire fight to the BBC a few days later, all of them say they were lucky not to have lost anyone. When they finally reached higher ground and safety "we were totally out of breath, we could barely speak. We had almost no ammunition left," says Lt Fernandez, who was also inspired by 9/11 to join the forces. He signed up on 14 September 2001. Up here, Sgt Coca could get through on the radio, to call for air support. A-10 aircraft arrived. But the soldiers say the pilots were not permitted to open fire with their machine gun, or drop any ordnance because the militants were in Pakistani territory. "That just totally frustrates all of us," says Sgt Coca. "It's easy for the enemy to shoot at us here in Afghanistan and then they just run a couple of hundred metres into Pakistan and we can't do anything. They're untouchable. "We have that problem all the time," he says. Sgt Miller agrees: "That's their safe haven, because they know that we can't go over the border and they try to use that to their advantage." The exact rules of engagement for US forces based along the border are secret. But it is clear from reports of different American operations that they do have some leeway. And at times during the battle at Peak 2911, this US unit did end up in Pakistani territory. But American troops are not allowed to chase attackers across the border. Lt Fernandez says if they are "in pursuit of an enemy" they sometimes call Pakistani government forces on the other side. But asked if US forces here feel they get help from the Pakistanis, he says: "I can't say that we do. No, not really." Madrassas Capt Islamuddin is more blunt. "Pakistan is interfering in Afghanistan. They are sending the bad guys here. They say there are cooperating, but they are not." Capt Islamuddin has been based on the border with his 3rd Battalion for the past five months and says he has seen many clashes. "Many of them are foreigners," he says, "not Afghans." It is a claim Afghan government officials often make about those behind the attacks across the south and east. But the evidence is often hard to find. Asked to give more detail, Capt Islamuddin says he has seen the bodies of many militants close up after battles he has been involved in. "There are some stupid Afghans among them," he says. "But most of them are Waziris [from Pakistan's Waziristan tribal agency], Chechens and Arabs. They are all coming from the madrassas [religious schools] in Pakistan." Officially, the US military says Pakistan is cooperating closely with its efforts to defeat the insurgency and US generals frequently praise their counterparts across the border. That is not how it appears to those on the frontline, to the young US and Afghan troops actually doing the fighting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4657645.stm -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!!
Loony T "Greg Procter" wrote in message ... Chris, little speckled idiot, I told you a couple of years ago that this sort of thing would happen, but no, you claimed "Pakestan is right behind us, now they are a democracy". sheesh America the Beautiful wrote: Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. It did not make any headlines. It was just another incident among many in this volatile region. But it gives an insight into why the US-led coalition is having such difficulty defeating the insurgency that has affected much of eastern and southern Afghanistan for the past two years. It was 25 June. Second Lt Louis Fernandez had led seven members of his platoon to the top of Peak 2911. A distinctive, bulging mountain straddling the frontier, it gets its name from its height in metres. QUICK GUIDE Afghanistan The night before, a US artillery battery had shelled the peak after lights had been seen there. The suspicion was that insurgents might be using it as a launch site to fire rockets on American and Afghan troops - an almost daily occurrence for units based along the border. 'Taking fire' Lt Fernandez and his men from the 2/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been ordered to do a "battle damage assessment", to see if anything had been hit. An Afghan officer, Capt Mohammed Islamuddin, and two interpreters were with them. They found nothing except a well-travelled trail. They decided to follow it. As they moved down the path, Capt Islamuddin says he spotted a man in local clothes about 200-300 metres away, carrying a Kalashnikov. Staff Sgt McKenna Miller says he saw another man near some trees raising his Kalashnikov. Sgt Miller raised his weapon. "I asked for permission to fire." "I told Sgt Miller to shoot," says 22-year-old Lt Fernandez. "He pulled the trigger and hit the guy right in the head and put him down. "Immediately after, we started taking fire from another direction," he says. "That's when pretty much everything unravelled," says Sgt Miller, a veteran of Iraq and the Balkans. They realised they were up against "not two, but approximately 15 to 20 individuals", with a barrage of fire coming down on the US and Afghan troops. Where they were though, there was almost no cover. The only escape was to move back towards the summit, the soldiers taking it in turns to provide covering fire while others scrambled up the slope, fighting for breath in the thin air at this altitude. "I was starting to pray as I was running back," says Sgt Juan Carlos Coca, the unit's radio operator. "There were rounds flying everywhere." "We were definitely fighting for our lives," says Sgt Miller. Pursuers' advantage For Sgt Coca, this is his second time in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. In between, he was also in Iraq, in southern Baghdad. "I expected this to be the easiest deployment of the three," he admits. "But so far it's been the hardest. We've basically come to a hornets' nest, here on the border with Pakistan." The paratroopers say they were firing constantly to try to keep their assailants back. But "we were getting surrounded", says Sgt Coca. "And we had no comms at all. The mountain was blocking radio signals, so they couldn't call for back-up. In this terrain, their pursuers had the advantage. "They move a lot faster on these mountains than we do," says Lt Fernandez. "They know all the routes. And they're just in better shape when it comes to this. They're carrying no weight. We're carrying about 60 or 70 pounds (27kg-31kg) of equipment, so we're a lot slower." Their lightly loaded attackers came closer and closer. "They got within 20 or 30 metres," says Lt Fernandez. "You could see those little tan hats they wear. "We were hugging the dirt, most of the time just praying to God that He was there for us. And He was definitely there for us, to just have one guy take a ricochet round, with the amount of fire they were putting down on us." That one guy was Pte Ted Smith. A round hit him in the face, but went straight through his cheek. "Blood was just pouring out of him," says Sgt Miller, "but he just kept on firing." Fortress Pte Smith is expected to return to duty here soon at Camp Tillman - named after Pat Tillman, the American footballer who famously turned down millions of dollars to join the US military after 11 September but who died in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan in April last year. When you visit this small, heavily defended redoubt, it conjures up images of old French Foreign Legion fortresses deep in hostile North African rebel territory. Just across the border from the base - which sits near a tiny hamlet of mud-brick houses - is the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan. That has long regarded as one of the main areas where Taleban and also al Qaeda militants have been sheltering. There have been reports of Osama Bin Laden hiding there. Although Pakistani forces were involved in bloody clashes with some of these groups last year, there are concerns that many still remain and have even bolstered their numbers. Based on intelligence received afterwards, the US soldiers believe they killed eight of their attackers. But talking about the fire fight to the BBC a few days later, all of them say they were lucky not to have lost anyone. When they finally reached higher ground and safety "we were totally out of breath, we could barely speak. We had almost no ammunition left," says Lt Fernandez, who was also inspired by 9/11 to join the forces. He signed up on 14 September 2001. Up here, Sgt Coca could get through on the radio, to call for air support. A-10 aircraft arrived. But the soldiers say the pilots were not permitted to open fire with their machine gun, or drop any ordnance because the militants were in Pakistani territory. "That just totally frustrates all of us," says Sgt Coca. "It's easy for the enemy to shoot at us here in Afghanistan and then they just run a couple of hundred metres into Pakistan and we can't do anything. They're untouchable. "We have that problem all the time," he says. Sgt Miller agrees: "That's their safe haven, because they know that we can't go over the border and they try to use that to their advantage." The exact rules of engagement for US forces based along the border are secret. But it is clear from reports of different American operations that they do have some leeway. And at times during the battle at Peak 2911, this US unit did end up in Pakistani territory. But American troops are not allowed to chase attackers across the border. Lt Fernandez says if they are "in pursuit of an enemy" they sometimes call Pakistani government forces on the other side. But asked if US forces here feel they get help from the Pakistanis, he says: "I can't say that we do. No, not really." Madrassas Capt Islamuddin is more blunt. "Pakistan is interfering in Afghanistan. They are sending the bad guys here. They say there are cooperating, but they are not." Capt Islamuddin has been based on the border with his 3rd Battalion for the past five months and says he has seen many clashes. "Many of them are foreigners," he says, "not Afghans." It is a claim Afghan government officials often make about those behind the attacks across the south and east. But the evidence is often hard to find. Asked to give more detail, Capt Islamuddin says he has seen the bodies of many militants close up after battles he has been involved in. "There are some stupid Afghans among them," he says. "But most of them are Waziris [from Pakistan's Waziristan tribal agency], Chechens and Arabs. They are all coming from the madrassas [religious schools] in Pakistan." Officially, the US military says Pakistan is cooperating closely with its efforts to defeat the insurgency and US generals frequently praise their counterparts across the border. That is not how it appears to those on the frontline, to the young US and Afghan troops actually doing the fighting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4657645.stm -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"...suspected Taleban militants...". Probably on their way to market but as
they looked like 'foreigners', shot them any way. I do feel so much better knowing that the Americans are saving our sorry arse again. Where would we be without them? Loony T "Uncle Fester" wrote in message enews.net... America the Beautiful wrote Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. On that basis you merkins should nuke Mexico. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. When did we do that? -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. When did we do that? Remember the Iraq war? You bombed the Kurds and the Brits. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Uncle Fester wrote: America the Beautiful wrote Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. On that basis you merkins should nuke Mexico. OK. When should we start? -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Loony Tune wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We hate kangaroos anyway! -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Greg Procter wrote: Chris, little speckled idiot, I told you a couple of years ago that this sort of thing would happen, but no, you claimed "Pakestan is right behind us, now they are a democracy". sheesh Yes I did tell you they are behind us and they are. The problem is that they can't patrol that region and Paki law say's we can't either. America the Beautiful wrote: Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. It did not make any headlines. It was just another incident among many in this volatile region. But it gives an insight into why the US-led coalition is having such difficulty defeating the insurgency that has affected much of eastern and southern Afghanistan for the past two years. It was 25 June. Second Lt Louis Fernandez had led seven members of his platoon to the top of Peak 2911. A distinctive, bulging mountain straddling the frontier, it gets its name from its height in metres. QUICK GUIDE Afghanistan The night before, a US artillery battery had shelled the peak after lights had been seen there. The suspicion was that insurgents might be using it as a launch site to fire rockets on American and Afghan troops - an almost daily occurrence for units based along the border. 'Taking fire' Lt Fernandez and his men from the 2/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been ordered to do a "battle damage assessment", to see if anything had been hit. An Afghan officer, Capt Mohammed Islamuddin, and two interpreters were with them. They found nothing except a well-travelled trail. They decided to follow it. As they moved down the path, Capt Islamuddin says he spotted a man in local clothes about 200-300 metres away, carrying a Kalashnikov. Staff Sgt McKenna Miller says he saw another man near some trees raising his Kalashnikov. Sgt Miller raised his weapon. "I asked for permission to fire." "I told Sgt Miller to shoot," says 22-year-old Lt Fernandez. "He pulled the trigger and hit the guy right in the head and put him down. "Immediately after, we started taking fire from another direction," he says. "That's when pretty much everything unravelled," says Sgt Miller, a veteran of Iraq and the Balkans. They realised they were up against "not two, but approximately 15 to 20 individuals", with a barrage of fire coming down on the US and Afghan troops. Where they were though, there was almost no cover. The only escape was to move back towards the summit, the soldiers taking it in turns to provide covering fire while others scrambled up the slope, fighting for breath in the thin air at this altitude. "I was starting to pray as I was running back," says Sgt Juan Carlos Coca, the unit's radio operator. "There were rounds flying everywhere." "We were definitely fighting for our lives," says Sgt Miller. Pursuers' advantage For Sgt Coca, this is his second time in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. In between, he was also in Iraq, in southern Baghdad. "I expected this to be the easiest deployment of the three," he admits. "But so far it's been the hardest. We've basically come to a hornets' nest, here on the border with Pakistan." The paratroopers say they were firing constantly to try to keep their assailants back. But "we were getting surrounded", says Sgt Coca. "And we had no comms at all. The mountain was blocking radio signals, so they couldn't call for back-up. In this terrain, their pursuers had the advantage. "They move a lot faster on these mountains than we do," says Lt Fernandez. "They know all the routes. And they're just in better shape when it comes to this. They're carrying no weight. We're carrying about 60 or 70 pounds (27kg-31kg) of equipment, so we're a lot slower." Their lightly loaded attackers came closer and closer. "They got within 20 or 30 metres," says Lt Fernandez. "You could see those little tan hats they wear. "We were hugging the dirt, most of the time just praying to God that He was there for us. And He was definitely there for us, to just have one guy take a ricochet round, with the amount of fire they were putting down on us." That one guy was Pte Ted Smith. A round hit him in the face, but went straight through his cheek. "Blood was just pouring out of him," says Sgt Miller, "but he just kept on firing." Fortress Pte Smith is expected to return to duty here soon at Camp Tillman - named after Pat Tillman, the American footballer who famously turned down millions of dollars to join the US military after 11 September but who died in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan in April last year. When you visit this small, heavily defended redoubt, it conjures up images of old French Foreign Legion fortresses deep in hostile North African rebel territory. Just across the border from the base - which sits near a tiny hamlet of mud-brick houses - is the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan. That has long regarded as one of the main areas where Taleban and also al Qaeda militants have been sheltering. There have been reports of Osama Bin Laden hiding there. Although Pakistani forces were involved in bloody clashes with some of these groups last year, there are concerns that many still remain and have even bolstered their numbers. Based on intelligence received afterwards, the US soldiers believe they killed eight of their attackers. But talking about the fire fight to the BBC a few days later, all of them say they were lucky not to have lost anyone. When they finally reached higher ground and safety "we were totally out of breath, we could barely speak. We had almost no ammunition left," says Lt Fernandez, who was also inspired by 9/11 to join the forces. He signed up on 14 September 2001. Up here, Sgt Coca could get through on the radio, to call for air support. A-10 aircraft arrived. But the soldiers say the pilots were not permitted to open fire with their machine gun, or drop any ordnance because the militants were in Pakistani territory. "That just totally frustrates all of us," says Sgt Coca. "It's easy for the enemy to shoot at us here in Afghanistan and then they just run a couple of hundred metres into Pakistan and we can't do anything. They're untouchable. "We have that problem all the time," he says. Sgt Miller agrees: "That's their safe haven, because they know that we can't go over the border and they try to use that to their advantage." The exact rules of engagement for US forces based along the border are secret. But it is clear from reports of different American operations that they do have some leeway. And at times during the battle at Peak 2911, this US unit did end up in Pakistani territory. But American troops are not allowed to chase attackers across the border. Lt Fernandez says if they are "in pursuit of an enemy" they sometimes call Pakistani government forces on the other side. But asked if US forces here feel they get help from the Pakistanis, he says: "I can't say that we do. No, not really." Madrassas Capt Islamuddin is more blunt. "Pakistan is interfering in Afghanistan. They are sending the bad guys here. They say there are cooperating, but they are not." Capt Islamuddin has been based on the border with his 3rd Battalion for the past five months and says he has seen many clashes. "Many of them are foreigners," he says, "not Afghans." It is a claim Afghan government officials often make about those behind the attacks across the south and east. But the evidence is often hard to find. Asked to give more detail, Capt Islamuddin says he has seen the bodies of many militants close up after battles he has been involved in. "There are some stupid Afghans among them," he says. "But most of them are Waziris [from Pakistan's Waziristan tribal agency], Chechens and Arabs. They are all coming from the madrassas [religious schools] in Pakistan." Officially, the US military says Pakistan is cooperating closely with its efforts to defeat the insurgency and US generals frequently praise their counterparts across the border. That is not how it appears to those on the frontline, to the young US and Afghan troops actually doing the fighting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4657645.stm -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Sarah Czepiel wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. http://www.geocities.com/libassbug/applause.gif -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. When did we do that? Remember the Iraq war? You bombed the Kurds and the Brits. Oh, that was an accident (wink wink). -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:39:23 -0400, America the Beautiful
wrote: Sarah Czepiel wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. http://www.geocities.com/libassbug/applause.gif :) Ta Chris! |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 05:48:20 GMT, Anthropy wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:44:48 -0400, Sarah Czepiel wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. Er....did I mention the United States????? Nope...I didn't. So your statement, " Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. " was actually accusing Gerard of paying for the IRA explosives?? Now I know why you claim to be famous. You just didn't tell me it was for being a complete idiot. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Now correct me if I'm wrong, and as I'm sure your read gutter newspapers and
listen to Bush backed news TV, you will, who shot the most amount of GB soldiers in both Desert Storm I and II? Do you want a clue ****-wit? Well they begin with U ends in A and has S in the middle. And just in case your illiteracy means you can't decipher that, it's USA prick. Now **** off back to you trailer park and shag your sister or what ever else you do to you family and animals. Loony T "Gerard" wrote in message ... On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. "Who is doing it" though is the problem you arrogant ****s need to be focused on. Not showing your "arses" trying to insult "YANKS" who take your intended barbs and cram them down your tea sipping throats and continue to laugh at your feeble efforts to embarrass your betters. "The History of the present King [George] is a history of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States... He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance... He has affected to render the Military independent of, and superior to the Civil Power. He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us; For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit... For depriving us in many cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury... For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences... He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People... In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People." -Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, July 4, 1776 Loony T No one will question that. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Just a **** I thought. Warmongering is probably too hard a thought process
for it to do Loony T "Anthropy" wrote in message ... On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. "Who is doing it" Irate Muslims who are ****ed that the US and UK have killed 128,000 Iraqi civilians and decimated Iraq and Afghanistan, perhaps. though is the problem you arrogant ****s need to be focused on. We already know why the bombers killed innocent UK civilians the real question is why is the US killing so many innocent Muslims?, apart from the accepted US motivation of stealing Iraqi oil. Notshowing your "arses" You want to see our arses!!!?? Yank pervert, you must have been in that haven for US perverts, the US "army". trying to insult "YANKS" who take your intendedbarbs and cram them down your tea sipping throats and continue to laugh at your feeble efforts to embarrass your betters. You don't post here often, do you?, lol. What a warmongering ****. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
It's a well known fact that certain big business's backed the IRA Assthrobby
Loony T "Sarah Czepiel" wrote in message ... On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"Anthropy" wrote in message ... On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 23:56:38 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: "...suspected Taleban militants...". Probably on their way to market but as they looked like 'foreigners', shot them any way. I do feel so much better knowing that the Americans are saving our sorry arse again. Where would we be without them? Loony T Top posting, third rate troll, yawn. So that's how you defend yourself. Forget the facts of the matter and comment that I put my response in the wrong place. Next you'll be telling me how to punctuate a sentence (that's where to put full stops and commas dick-head) Loony T |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. When did we do that? Remember the Iraq war? You bombed the Kurds and the Brits. Oh, that was an accident (wink wink). Isn't it what you're going to say when you nuke Pakistan? |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 08:32:52 +0100, "Loony Tune"
wrote: It's a well known fact that certain big business's backed the IRA Assthrobby Loony T Ok, who, and with cites. Then you can tell me what YOU personally have done to address any guilty parties. Thanks. "Sarah Czepiel" wrote in message .. . On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 13:52:15 GMT, Anthropy wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:17:05 -0400, Sarah Czepiel wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 05:48:20 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:44:48 -0400, Sarah Czepiel wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 02:18:07 GMT, Anthropy wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:54:42 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. You're claiming the United States paid for IRA explosives? Use another foil wrap in your hat Assthrobby cause your signals are screwy. Er....did I mention the United States????? Nope...I didn't. So your statement, " Yes you have or at least you paid for the explosives. IRA ring any bells. " was actually accusing Gerard of paying for the IRA explosives?? I was accusing American's not the US Govt unless YOU are suggesting that the US Govt was involved, is that what you are saying!!? You clearly said " YOU " when addressing Gerard. The burden of clarification is on you. It's not up to anyone reading your silly screeds to try and figure out what you *might* be meaning. Now I know why you claim to be famous. You just didn't tell me it was for being a complete idiot. Surely it's better than being famous (on antu anyway)for being ugly, old and impersonating men? Why would I object to you making yourselves the laughingstocks? |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 08:29:33 +0100, "Loony Tune"
wrote: Now correct me if I'm wrong, and as I'm sure your read gutter newspapers and listen to Bush backed news TV, you will, who shot the most amount of GB soldiers in both Desert Storm I and II? Do you want a clue ****-wit? Well they begin with U ends in A and has S in the middle. And just in case your illiteracy means you can't decipher that, it's USA prick. Now **** off back to you trailer park and shag your sister or what ever else you do to you family and animals. You write the above and have the gall to accuse somebody else of illiteracy?! Charlie -- Remove NO-SPOO-PLEASE from my email address to reply Please send no unsolicited email or foodstuffs |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Loony Tune wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We hate kangaroos anyway! Fair point Loony T Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Webzpider wrote:
"America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. When did we do that? Remember the Iraq war? You bombed the Kurds and the Brits. Oh, that was an accident (wink wink). Isn't it what you're going to say when you nuke Pakistan? Probably. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
"America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Webzpider wrote: "America the Beautiful" wrote in message ... Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' Why not? You lot always drop bombs on your allies. When did we do that? Remember the Iraq war? You bombed the Kurds and the Brits. Oh, that was an accident (wink wink). Isn't it what you're going to say when you nuke Pakistan? Probably. GOTCHA !!!!!! |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Uncle Fester wrote: America the Beautiful wrote On that basis you merkins should nuke Mexico. OK. When should we start? Whenever. It'll be interesting to see California rise up against the rest of you. Like that would ever happen.. -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Uncle Fester wrote: America the Beautiful wrote Whenever. It'll be interesting to see California rise up against the rest of you. Like that would ever happen.. How many nuclear bunkers are sold in the US annually ? Beats me. I didn't know there was a market for them. But that has something to do with California because? -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Uncle Fester wrote: America the Beautiful wrote Whenever. It'll be interesting to see California rise up against the rest of you. Like that would ever happen.. How many nuclear bunkers are sold in the US annually ? Beats me. I didn't know there was a market for them. But that has something to do with California because? Plenty of your fellow merkins are not convinced that California won't rise up against them. Because they won't, Stupid. And why would they? -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 06:34:44 -0400, America the Beautiful
wrote: Uncle Fester wrote: America the Beautiful wrote Whenever. It'll be interesting to see California rise up against the rest of you. Like that would ever happen.. How many nuclear bunkers are sold in the US annually ? Beats me. I didn't know there was a market for them. But that has something to do with California because? Plenty of your fellow merkins are not convinced that California won't rise up against them. Because they won't, Stupid. And why would they? Eeesh Chris! From where did you drag up this retard, Uncle Fester? |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 20:30:57 GMT, Gerard wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 13:52:15 GMT, Anthropy wrote: (...) MS. ANTHROPY http://www.advicegoddess.com/columns/column16.html All About Amy New Columns Really Old Columns Goddess Blog Amy's Book Picks Amy's Links Love Letters SUVs The Pink Rambler My! It appears that our 'Anthropy' may be the Ann Landers of ULL! And a lesbian to boot! |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Well... this has certainly been educational... FFS sort yourelves out, you sad, macho SOB's... This sort of s*** is counter-productive... CJ |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On 16 Jul 2005 15:02:21 -0700, "Evil Clown"
wrote: Well... this has certainly been educational... FFS sort yourelves out, you sad, macho SOB's... This sort of s*** is counter-productive... CJ You're posting back onto an alt.nuke* group. This sort of **** is ON TOPIC there. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On 16 Jul 2005 15:02:21 -0700, "Evil Clown"
wrote: Well... this has certainly been educational... FFS sort yourelves out, you sad, macho SOB's... This sort of s*** is counter-productive... CJ Go knit a sweater you fag. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 18:10:01 +0100, Uncle Fester
wrote: Sarah Czepiel wrote Because they won't, Stupid. And why would they? Eeesh Chris! From where did you drag up this retard, Uncle Fester? Same place you come from. Until her political masters started to feed her stories about Pakistan that chubby old Czepiel **** thought that it was a town in Texas. They're not too bright those gormless merkins :) |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 20:07:02 GMT, Gerard wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 08:29:33 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Now correct me if I'm wrong, and as I'm sure your read gutter newspapers and listen to Bush backed news TV, you will, who shot the most amount of GB soldiers in both Desert Storm I and II? Do you want a clue ****-wit? Well they begin with U ends in A and has S in the middle. And just in case your illiteracy means you can't decipher that, it's USA prick. Now **** off back to you trailer park and shag your sister or what ever else you do to you family and animals. An investigation into the friendly fire incidents determined that those allies killed where support personnel, i.e., clerks, messmen and utility workers who strayed from the British compound and some how ended up on the fringes of a free fire zone. We are really sorry about your loss but we are not responsible for the poor training of other non-combatants of other nation's armed forces. BTW - I would call you a prick but it's part of a man so you really don't qualify, ****. ooooh, diddums, Gerald becomes really cross when he's caught out in a lie. Loony T Yes, you truly are. "are not!" "are too!" - Gerald raises the debate to a new height (by merkin standards) "Gerard" wrote in message . .. On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 22:38:01 +0100, "Loony Tune" wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! We haven't blown up any of your trains or buses. "Who is doing it" though is the problem you arrogant ****s need to be focused on. Not showing your "arses" trying to insult "YANKS" who take your intended barbs and cram them down your tea sipping throats and continue to laugh at your feeble efforts to embarrass your betters. "The History of the present King [George] is a history of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States... He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance... He has affected to render the Military independent of, and superior to the Civil Power. He has combined with others to subject us to a Jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution, and unacknowledged by our Laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us; For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit... For depriving us in many cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury... For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences... He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People... In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble Terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated Injury. A Prince, whose Character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the Ruler of a free People." -Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, July 4, 1776 Loony T No one will question that. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 18:10:01 +0100, Uncle Fester
wrote: Sarah Czepiel wrote Because they won't, Stupid. And why would they? Eeesh Chris! From where did you drag up this retard, Uncle Fester? Same place you come from. I'm from the USA while you dropped out of a hobo's arse. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
Loony Tune wrote: Well knowing how the Americans fire, they'll end up nuking Australia!! Loony T Are you trying to spread yank paranoia???? "Greg Procter" wrote in message ... Chris, little speckled idiot, I told you a couple of years ago that this sort of thing would happen, but no, you claimed "Pakestan is right behind us, now they are a democracy". sheesh America the Beautiful wrote: Stung in an Afghan 'hornets' nest' A routine mission for a small unit of US troops based here turned into a fight for their lives when they came up against a group of suspected Taleban militants along the border with Pakistan. It did not make any headlines. It was just another incident among many in this volatile region. But it gives an insight into why the US-led coalition is having such difficulty defeating the insurgency that has affected much of eastern and southern Afghanistan for the past two years. It was 25 June. Second Lt Louis Fernandez had led seven members of his platoon to the top of Peak 2911. A distinctive, bulging mountain straddling the frontier, it gets its name from its height in metres. QUICK GUIDE Afghanistan The night before, a US artillery battery had shelled the peak after lights had been seen there. The suspicion was that insurgents might be using it as a launch site to fire rockets on American and Afghan troops - an almost daily occurrence for units based along the border. 'Taking fire' Lt Fernandez and his men from the 2/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been ordered to do a "battle damage assessment", to see if anything had been hit. An Afghan officer, Capt Mohammed Islamuddin, and two interpreters were with them. They found nothing except a well-travelled trail. They decided to follow it. As they moved down the path, Capt Islamuddin says he spotted a man in local clothes about 200-300 metres away, carrying a Kalashnikov. Staff Sgt McKenna Miller says he saw another man near some trees raising his Kalashnikov. Sgt Miller raised his weapon. "I asked for permission to fire." "I told Sgt Miller to shoot," says 22-year-old Lt Fernandez. "He pulled the trigger and hit the guy right in the head and put him down. "Immediately after, we started taking fire from another direction," he says. "That's when pretty much everything unravelled," says Sgt Miller, a veteran of Iraq and the Balkans. They realised they were up against "not two, but approximately 15 to 20 individuals", with a barrage of fire coming down on the US and Afghan troops. Where they were though, there was almost no cover. The only escape was to move back towards the summit, the soldiers taking it in turns to provide covering fire while others scrambled up the slope, fighting for breath in the thin air at this altitude. "I was starting to pray as I was running back," says Sgt Juan Carlos Coca, the unit's radio operator. "There were rounds flying everywhere." "We were definitely fighting for our lives," says Sgt Miller. Pursuers' advantage For Sgt Coca, this is his second time in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. In between, he was also in Iraq, in southern Baghdad. "I expected this to be the easiest deployment of the three," he admits. "But so far it's been the hardest. We've basically come to a hornets' nest, here on the border with Pakistan." The paratroopers say they were firing constantly to try to keep their assailants back. But "we were getting surrounded", says Sgt Coca. "And we had no comms at all. The mountain was blocking radio signals, so they couldn't call for back-up. In this terrain, their pursuers had the advantage. "They move a lot faster on these mountains than we do," says Lt Fernandez. "They know all the routes. And they're just in better shape when it comes to this. They're carrying no weight. We're carrying about 60 or 70 pounds (27kg-31kg) of equipment, so we're a lot slower." Their lightly loaded attackers came closer and closer. "They got within 20 or 30 metres," says Lt Fernandez. "You could see those little tan hats they wear. "We were hugging the dirt, most of the time just praying to God that He was there for us. And He was definitely there for us, to just have one guy take a ricochet round, with the amount of fire they were putting down on us." That one guy was Pte Ted Smith. A round hit him in the face, but went straight through his cheek. "Blood was just pouring out of him," says Sgt Miller, "but he just kept on firing." Fortress Pte Smith is expected to return to duty here soon at Camp Tillman - named after Pat Tillman, the American footballer who famously turned down millions of dollars to join the US military after 11 September but who died in a "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan in April last year. When you visit this small, heavily defended redoubt, it conjures up images of old French Foreign Legion fortresses deep in hostile North African rebel territory. Just across the border from the base - which sits near a tiny hamlet of mud-brick houses - is the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan. That has long regarded as one of the main areas where Taleban and also al Qaeda militants have been sheltering. There have been reports of Osama Bin Laden hiding there. Although Pakistani forces were involved in bloody clashes with some of these groups last year, there are concerns that many still remain and have even bolstered their numbers. Based on intelligence received afterwards, the US soldiers believe they killed eight of their attackers. But talking about the fire fight to the BBC a few days later, all of them say they were lucky not to have lost anyone. When they finally reached higher ground and safety "we were totally out of breath, we could barely speak. We had almost no ammunition left," says Lt Fernandez, who was also inspired by 9/11 to join the forces. He signed up on 14 September 2001. Up here, Sgt Coca could get through on the radio, to call for air support. A-10 aircraft arrived. But the soldiers say the pilots were not permitted to open fire with their machine gun, or drop any ordnance because the militants were in Pakistani territory. "That just totally frustrates all of us," says Sgt Coca. "It's easy for the enemy to shoot at us here in Afghanistan and then they just run a couple of hundred metres into Pakistan and we can't do anything. They're untouchable. "We have that problem all the time," he says. Sgt Miller agrees: "That's their safe haven, because they know that we can't go over the border and they try to use that to their advantage." The exact rules of engagement for US forces based along the border are secret. But it is clear from reports of different American operations that they do have some leeway. And at times during the battle at Peak 2911, this US unit did end up in Pakistani territory. But American troops are not allowed to chase attackers across the border. Lt Fernandez says if they are "in pursuit of an enemy" they sometimes call Pakistani government forces on the other side. But asked if US forces here feel they get help from the Pakistanis, he says: "I can't say that we do. No, not really." Madrassas Capt Islamuddin is more blunt. "Pakistan is interfering in Afghanistan. They are sending the bad guys here. They say there are cooperating, but they are not." Capt Islamuddin has been based on the border with his 3rd Battalion for the past five months and says he has seen many clashes. "Many of them are foreigners," he says, "not Afghans." It is a claim Afghan government officials often make about those behind the attacks across the south and east. But the evidence is often hard to find. Asked to give more detail, Capt Islamuddin says he has seen the bodies of many militants close up after battles he has been involved in. "There are some stupid Afghans among them," he says. "But most of them are Waziris [from Pakistan's Waziristan tribal agency], Chechens and Arabs. They are all coming from the madrassas [religious schools] in Pakistan." Officially, the US military says Pakistan is cooperating closely with its efforts to defeat the insurgency and US generals frequently praise their counterparts across the border. That is not how it appears to those on the frontline, to the young US and Afghan troops actually doing the fighting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4657645.stm -- Chris F. Long Island. "A country soars its highest when it soars on the Wings of Freedom." God Bless America. |
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
|
TIME TO NUKE PAKISTAN!!!!!!!
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 00:54:26 GMT, Gerard wrote:
On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 17:07:01 -0400, Sarah Czepiel wrote: On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 20:30:57 GMT, Gerard wrote: On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 13:52:15 GMT, Anthropy wrote: (...) MS. ANTHROPY http://www.advicegoddess.com/columns/column16.html All About Amy New Columns Really Old Columns Goddess Blog Amy's Book Picks Amy's Links Love Letters SUVs The Pink Rambler My! It appears that our 'Anthropy' may be the Ann Landers of ULL! And a lesbian to boot! Muncher joke: (Q) "What does a lesbian bring on the second date?" (A) "A U-Haul." BTW -- Wasn't that on his/her page somewhere? You repeated it almost word for word. |
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