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Title: U.S. military to stop releasing militant death tolls in Afghanistan
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URL Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw ... nt24-2009jul24,0,3731015.story
Published: Jul 28, 2009
Author: Julian E. Barnes
Post Date: 2009-07-28 18:09:09 by christine
Keywords: None
Views: 130
Comments: 8
Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- Military officials in Afghanistan have ordered a halt to the practice of releasing the number of militants killed in fighting with American-led forces as part of an overall strategy shift and an effort to portray to the Afghan people a different U.S. approach to the war. The decision has triggered a quiet but fierce debate among military officers, one with echoes of the U.S. experience in Vietnam, when military officials routinely exaggerated body counts and used them as a measure of success -- a practice that proved counterproductive. Under the new order, issued by Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith, the military will not release specifics on how many insurgents are killed in fighting and will instead provide estimates. The change is part of a strategy to make the Afghan people feel safer, and it comes as U.S. commanders are instituting measures to avoid civilian casualties. "We send the wrong message if all we talk about is the number of insurgents killed. It doesn't demonstrate anything about whether we have made progress," said Smith, who arrived six weeks ago to overhaul U.S. and NATO communications efforts. "We want to shift the mind-set." Smith has asked commanders to issue fewer news releases and to focus on improvements in security where international forces are operating. "We have to show we are here to protect the people," he said. Officers who have favored releasing such figures said they are not intended to demonstrate military progress, but to counter and even preempt extremist propaganda charging that international forces are killing innocent Afghan civilians. "It is the first version that sticks," said Col. Greg Julian, the outgoing military spokesman. He favored releasing the information but agrees the policy should be changed under the new strategy emphasizing protection of the population. Throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military has periodically taken to reporting numbers of insurgents killed in specific clashes. Early in the Afghan war, Gen. Tommy Franks, then the top commander, said, "We don't do body counts." But last year, amid increasing violence, the 101st Airborne Division began releasing information about the number of militants killed, and the practice soon spread throughout U.S. forces. It was not the first time military setbacks prompted officials to release body counts. In 2005, as U.S. fortunes in Iraq spiraled downward, body counts crept into military news releases. Public affairs officials argued that, while not a measure of overall progress, casualty counts can show the success of individual missions.
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#2. To: christine (#0)
The Israel Lobby boy from Bush era – US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, admitted defeat in Afghanistan – as quoted by Las Angeles Times on July 19: “The troops are tired. The Americans people of pretty tired. The US-lead forces must gain ground against militants (as if Taliban are the only people carrying guns while Americans, British, Canadian, Australian and Nato – are in Afghanistan to feed hungry people and spread Christianity!) in Afghanistan by next summer to avoid a public perception that war is unwinable. Taliban would not be defeated within one year (it would be 9th year, idiot) but it’s critical that the US military and its allies showed that they are making progress….” Last week at Economic Club of Chicago – Robert Gates spilled his Zionist beans: “Iran is the one that concerns me the most because there don’t seem to be good options (other than war) wher one can have optimism that good option will be found…..Iran’s is going to have capability to deliver nuclear weapons to the people in their region (maybe the Zionist is ignorant of the fact that Tehran already has the delivery mechanism to reach Tel Aviv – however, they need a nuclear weapon. Maybe they can steal one of Israel’s 240 nuclear bombs!) a lot sooner than they’re going to have the capability to deliver them to us (don’t woory – Tehran already has a terrorist group in the US, known as MOSSAD). Jewish controlled mainstream media has already started echoing Afghanistan to become Obama’s Vietnam. For example, Newsweek, on July 16 published John Barry’s article saying that “even the coalition commanders in Afghanistan wonder if they can win the war”. Sahil Kapur writing for the Zionist think tank Huffingtonpost, though admitted that Iraq-Afghanistan war has “contributed to an exploding deficit, a $10 trillion debt, a US army stretched thin and a nearlu unmanageable economic crisis”. However, for the benefit of his native India – he pleaded on February 18, 2009: “Don’t Let Afghanistan Become Obama’s Vietnam”. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran share the common reasons for the Israel Lobby to force Washington to fight wars for Israel – which are: threat to Israel’s military superiority in the region, opium, and oil. In addition to Iran’s progress in the nuclear field, Islamic Resistance groups Hizb’Allah and Hamas have shaken Israel’s myth of invincibility. Like Iraq, Iran too has huge deposits of oil and gas. It sits on the world’s largest oil reserves, the Zagros Oil Belt. Taliban banned opium cultivation and brought it to its lowest level (178 tons), which sent socks to the Jewish monopolized The Wall Street. Since US occupation – the opium cultivation has jumped to over 4,000 tons per year. Afghanistan also sits between Turkmenistan, home to world’s third largest natural gas reserves and a lucrative market for the Israelis. The Caspian Basin is estimated to be worth more than US$5 trillion. There are two plans to exploit Caspian oil reserves. One is oil and gas pipelines through Afghanistan to Pakistani port of Gwadar (Balochistan) and then shipped to refineries in Israel – and the other is oil and gas pipelines to Turkish port of Ceyhan and thence to Israel’s oil terminal at Ashkelon and on to its Red Sea port of Eilat. Yosef A. Maiman, an Israeli billionaire, owns lion’s share of Turkmenistan’s oil and gas industry. He is the “Special Ambassador” of Israel to Turkmenitan government. He is also Israel’s “Honrary Consul” in Peru. In keeping with Israeli political interests, Maiman’s planned pipelines bypass Iran and Russia. Maiman has said: “I have no objection in dealing with Iran, “when and if Israeli policy allows it”.” According to American WesternGeco Geophysical Company – “The Turkmen sector of Caspian Sea contains up to 11 billion tons of oil and 5.5 trillion cubic meters of gas. A few days earlier the Special Envoy of the US Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy, Richard Morningstar, visited Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Both the US and Israel are training Azerbaijan armed forces against Armenia which maintains close relations with Islamic Iran and Russia. www.rawa.org/temp/runews/...d-8217-s-invade-iran.html 'The airstrike killed six civilians and wounded 14 others,' he said, adding that women and children were among the victims. "I was at home last night when our house was bombed," a Shah Wali Kot resident who identified himself as Mohammadullah told Reuters television. www.rawa.org/temp/runews/...re-among-the-victims.html Let’s rise against the war crimes of US and its fundamentalist lackeys! RAWA Statement on Massacre of over 150 civilians in Bala Baluk of Farah Province by the U.S. www.rawa.org/rawa/2009/05...ndamentalist-lackeys.html www.rawa.org/events/sevenyear_e.htm QUESTION: Is the U.S. bombing campaign directed against "terrorists" or the people of Afghanistan? ANSWER: This is a war against the people of Afghanistan. The U.S. and British are dropping thousands of bombs and firing missiles on homes, schools, mosques, hospitals and villages throughout the country.
#3. To: bush_is_a_moonie (#2)
"Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran share the common reasons for the Israel Lobby to force Washington to fight wars for Israel – which are: threat to Israel’s military superiority in the region, opium, and oil." the US gov is not leaving Afghanistan any time soon. btw, that photo is heartwrenching.
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Replies to Comment # 2. good article
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