AFP says Taliban manipulates rules of engagement; US media slow to report
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 9:48AM Commentary by Kay B. Day
War memorial at Billard Park in Jacksonville, Fla. [photo by Kay B. Day]Imagine the frustration of having to abide by stringent rules of engagement while the enemy can get away with murder and human rights groups turn a blind eye. Agence France-Presse reported on battlefield conditions in Southern Afghanistan after a unit of Marines was ambushed in Helmand Province.Two men were killed; three were wounded.
A platoon commander, after acknowledging the “rules are there for a reason,” said the Taliban manipulates “rules of engagement by using women and children as shields and shooting from hidden positions before dropping their weapons and standing out in the open.”
Coalition troops cannot fire unless the enemy is carrying a weapon, and troops must also be able to positively identify the target as the enemy. Do you shout across the battle zone, “Hey, let me see some ID” before you shoot?
One Marine told AFP, "We were attacked treacherously. We came under fire from everywhere, but the rules of engagement prevent me from doing my job.”
The Taliban and other terrorist groups make good use of propaganda in addition to not playing by any rules. In late January burned Korans were discovered in Helmand. The owner of the home where the burned books were found has a son who is in the Taliban. A local government spokesman in Helmand said Pakistani Intelligence agents and al Qaeda burned the Korans, an action that can move local populations to violence.
The top military blog One Marine’s View said the burned books were “another attempt by the enemy to action a desperate tactic against us.” But it failed. “It didn’t materialize,” the Marine wrote, “ as we mustered locals, silenced crowds and educated locals to ensure they understood that the enemy is desperate and apparently has no respect for their holy book or religion as they destroy it during lies against their own people.”
AFP summed up grim statistics: “The death toll of foreign soldiers fighting in Afghanistan under U.S. and NATO command hit 44 in January --- the highest for the month since the war began more than eight years ago --- compared with 25 in January 2009.”
While President George W. Bush held office, media kept the death toll in the public eye. Once President Barack Obama was elected, media seemed to downplay death counts. Even the anti-war protesters have gone quiet.
The Marine writing at One Marine’s View said, “The winter hasn’t slowed any attacks, only the high tempo is squashing the enemy’s actions. You would be very proud of your Marines and what they are doing, even if it doesn’t ever get recognized by the press or anyone else but here.”
The United Nations appears unconcerned about the brutality of the Taliban, judging by a summary of issues on pages devoted to human rights. Articles about Haiti, Ecuador, countries’ methods for fighting terrorism and the rights of indigenous people dominate the page. With many human rights groups, the sharp eye has been on US and coalition troops and private contractors rather than on the Taliban and other groups that oppress women’s rights and permit little or no personal liberty.
Even before the US entered Afghanistan after terrorists harbored by the Taliban attacked America, killing thousands of innocent civilians, the Taliban was known for its brutality.
US media turn a blind eye even as our soldiers die and Taliban use human shields.