AFGHANISTAN

A Hairy Fight

As the military considers an Afghanistan 'surge', the head of the U.S. Marines pays a visit, and finds that far more troops are needed on the ground.

Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 23, 2008 | Updated: 11:02  a.m. ET Aug 23, 2008

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  • Posted By: expatincebu @ 08/23/2008 6:06:48 PM

    What we need to do is pull out all of our troops, not send more. But that would violate the military welfare corporate propaganda of constant war and thus constant profits.

    • Posted By: Trooper101st @ 09/30/2008 9:53:51 AM

      Pretty soon the Phillipine gov. will be asking for US troops to put down the MOROS in Mindinao. I was part of Operation Balikan, and we nailed the Abu's pretty good. You are dreaming, and lost grasp of reality. Wats an M-14 going for right now in Mindinao? Last time I checked it was $800 US...the people are arming themselves, you think the moslem problem is gonna go away? I doubt it.

  • Posted By: SNusbaumer @ 08/23/2008 3:05:53 PM

    And I wonder, if the Marines are taken out of Anbar in large numbers, will that Iraqi province then see a surge of insurgents? There has been talk the Sunni insurgents have been moving to Afghanistan, where the insurgency is doing better. So if the US has a big buildup in Afghanistan, will the insurgents then return to Iraq? The Marines hope after they leave Anbar the Iraqi police/military will be able to keep the peace, but if they can???t? Will the Marines have to return to Anbar? Has anyone in the Pentagon read Sun Tzu? I hope so.

    • Posted By: Trooper101st @ 09/30/2008 9:48:11 AM

      He who tries to defend everywhere, defends NOWHERE. We need to kill the T-ban/AQ where they live, in P-stan. Iraq will take care of itself. There still will be a robust force in Iraq to deal with almost ANY contingency. Right now, A-stan, the mission is getting hairy. This is where the GWOT is, NOT Iraq.

    • Posted By: Braes @ 08/24/2008 8:00:54 AM

      I keep reading that Syria and Iran are just waiting on us to go. Within a year Baghdad is theirs.

  • Posted By: TIREDOFTHEKILLING @ 08/24/2008 2:27:27 PM

    FORGET AFGHANISTAN ALREADY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 TAKE THE FIGHT TO PAKISTAN WHERE THE S.O.B.'S TALIBAN AND AL QAEDA TERRIOREST ARE COMING FROM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUR AMERICAN MARINES ARE DIEING FOR NOTHING, OUR MEN ARE TRAINED TO ATTACK AND KILL THE ENEMY, WHAT ARE WE DOING, CHASING THEM TO THE BORDER THEN STOP ?????????????? GO AFTER THEM IF THE ATTACKS BEGAN IN AFGHANISTAN, HERE IN AMERICAN CITIES IF A LAW IS BROKEN LAW ENFORCE CAN GO INTO ANOTHER STATE LINE AND CHASE THE BAD GUYS SO STOP LETTING OUR BOYS BE KILLED WITHOUT A FIGHT AND CHASE NO MATTER WHERE THEY RUN, CHASE THEM AND SHOW HOW STRONG WE ARE, I'M AN NAM VET, TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    • Posted By: Trooper101st @ 09/30/2008 9:42:52 AM

      BROTHER, you are so right. An insurgency cannot survive w/out a safe haven. The P-stani's are laughing all the way to the bank. Bush supported this j.o., and look wat we got across the border. Put together a huge strike package and bomb those camps to DUST. Follow it with air-assaults to clean up the garbage. Bush and his team have totally f'd up 2 theatres. We are tired of being TARGETS. let us loose! My respect to you for ur service, like hearing from the 'Nam vets. ALWAYS in our hearts.

  • Posted By: Trooper101st @ 09/30/2008 9:32:43 AM

    CONWAY, you nit-wit. Wat the hell do you think they grew those beards for anyway? This is Spec. Ops, NOT 1st Marine Div. They need to fit in, show respect, get the people on thier side. The Marines are new to the ways of SF, but are quick learners. Let them be General, they are doing a helluva job. Go back to Qauntico or wherever you came from and get more Marines in this theatre. NATO is not a big help either, and if we are to stabilize A-stan, it means we need to hit the hadji's where THEY live. They will be so busy defending thier camps and compounds they will forget all about A-stan. BARACK OBAMA is right. We need to rip the tree out from the roots. Those roots are in P-stan. If they won't do it, WE WILL. We are tired of being target practice for snipers, mortar crews, and RPG's. Tell the P-stani's time has run out. When will the pols at home wake up? When a Chinook full of Soldiers or Marines get lit up by a P-stani F-16? They are the ENEMY. Damn, let us WIN!!!!

  • Posted By: VGSuetos @ 09/02/2008 1:08:44 PM

    My son is with MARSOC Afghanistan and I know that he is a Marines with or without hair. The mission comes first. I just happen to be in Anbar Province at the moment and I know how the Marines are iching to get to Afghanistan because this area is ready to be turned over to the Iraqis for their sons to fight for. War is a kill or be kill environment and we must never forget those who are using a wag bag, living in holes and eating anything that can be found before anyone has a right to judge the military live it before you judge. I happen to have two other sons in the Marines and we are all out ranked by my Marine wife. Posted by the Marines

  • Posted By: XMarine @ 08/25/2008 3:29:21 PM

    That is right General we all want clean shaven Marines. Marines have not changed. I remember a air dale Marine colonel in the rear wanted our boots shined. Never liked the air wing since. Two days earlier my Marine Battalion lost 38 KIA (killed in Action). Two years later Nixon awarded 2 Congressional Medal Honor medals to two who fought in that battle winners and one for that day and another less then three later. But on the night of the fights we were all clean shaved. and ready for inspection.

  • Posted By: XMarine @ 08/25/2008 3:12:33 PM

    Get with the program Conway. I remember one day on the DMZ my marine unit unit lost 38 killed and what happened that night. Our unit commander wanted us all shaved., The Marine Corps has not changed. The thought of being well groomed in a Islamic country to Marine standards is crazy, but it makes me smile.

  • Posted By: System7 @ 08/25/2008 10:11:39 AM

    Consider a picture above like a cartoon. A general explains: "We are not Russians in Georgia! We can stay here forever! And we need more troops!" A Sgt. Major whispers: "Firstly, we need a new way to bring our troops. Russians don't let us bring our forces through Russia." The general asks: "Why?" The Sgt. Major whispers: "Condi Rice stopped cooperation with them because of Georgia."

  • Posted By: getzel @ 08/25/2008 5:01:57 AM

    A nice long lasting war whose ONLY goal is weapons sales.

    The draft is scheduled to return in 2009.

    Intelligence analyst: Getzel

  • Posted By: lordmi @ 08/25/2008 2:21:46 AM

    When it is a trouble at home, why should we make all these expenses and lives for some other country somewhere nowhere. 2 countries, McWar wants even more.
    This is a hole, no economy can stand.
    As for us - we can not stand McWar anymore.

    • Posted By: ricklapin@mac.com @ 08/25/2008 4:09:20 AM

      Um ... don't look now, chumly, but Obama has advocated increased involvement in Afghanistan for quite some time. All part of one big team -- you'll get war and plenty of it no matter who you elect in November.

      That's some catch, that Catch-22 ...

  • Posted By: ricklapin@mac.com @ 08/24/2008 4:51:44 PM

    In olden days, men made war to loot some other country of its land,wealth, manpower, or whatever. In the series of was on which we are now embarked, the nation being looted is our own -- the entity formerly known as the United States of America. We are not pouring blood and treasure into a couple of holes in the sand -- we are pouring them into the pockets of men who think of this country as one huge, fat, stupid candy store to be stripped to its bare walls.

    Nice work, if you can get it ...

  • Posted By: topcat2001 @ 08/24/2008 2:12:22 PM

    Americans - Where the F*cK is Bin Laden? What happened to Wanted Dear or Alive that your President said 8 years ago? Bin Laden is alive and well in Pakistan while you bomb innocent Iraqis for a new reason that you invent every year.
    And you wonder why the rest of the world doesnt respect you anymore? LOL. The American bluff has been called by Russia in Georgia and China and Iran.

  • Posted By: adirondack_1 @ 08/24/2008 9:10:55 AM

    So this troop increase is for what? To protect the poppy fields? Before we go making an effort to protect the poppy growers we ought to secure a proactive commitment from Karzai that will result in a sppedy end to drug dealing by his country. That said, I have no problem with the way the opposition to the US is being slowly eradicated by the most effective means, decomposition.

  • Posted By: artholman @ 08/23/2008 2:14:26 PM

    English is an elegantly precise language, when we use it carefully. Thus, the headline "Marien Commander..."should be changed to "Marine Commandant..." The Corps has many Commanders, but only one Commandant. In paragraph 11, "ought" makes more sense than "aught." These easily checked errors give me no confidence in other statements by Johnson.

    • Posted By: Braes @ 08/24/2008 7:56:05 AM

      I not being a Marine forgot that he is the Commandant. Spot on. I missed it. Good Call.

  • Posted By: Cliff-N-Cali @ 08/23/2008 7:21:49 PM

    What!?! expatincebu....you make absolutely no sense!!!

    • Posted By: Braes @ 08/24/2008 7:55:17 AM

      The war in Afghanistan was declared excess by Bush in 2003. He said, I am no longer concerned about Osama bin Laden."

    • Posted By: Bruce0747 @ 08/24/2008 4:36:24 AM

      He makes alot of sense to me,another expat from the Nam.cliff-N-Cali must have never been in!

  • Posted By: TomMarAlem1987 @ 08/23/2008 10:54:42 PM

    The one who should be asked to send more troops is Mr.Sakhashvilli. He'll prove pro-American attitudes.

  • Posted By: ricklapin@mac.com @ 08/23/2008 9:43:48 PM

    Surprise, surprise, surprise ... they'll be ping-pongin' us back and forth between Iraq and Afghanistan for the next fifty years or more: "Oh wait -- send the boys to this one! No, no, wait again -- send the boys to that one!"

    Afghanistan has always been the fall-back war in case we all got tired of Iraq; and they will keep this shell game going just as long as you and I allow it.

  • Posted By: artholman @ 08/23/2008 2:17:10 PM

    This &%$% program posted my comments before I could proof read them. Sorry about any errors. Maybe the same thing happened to Johnson.

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