<http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHotJoints/~3/ejMt34ZSybk/?utm_source=feed burner&utm_medium=email> Frontline: 'Kill/Capture'
Posted: 10 May 2011 11:00 PM PDT <http://www.thehotjoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/jsoc.png> jsoc Frontline: Kill/Capture Frontline has been advertising their new documentary, "Kill/Capture <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kill-capture/> " for the last week. The program finally aired tonight. You can watch it in full below. It tells a side of the war in Afghanistan that until the raid on Osama bin Laden <http://www.thehotjoints.com/2011/05/01/osama-bin-laden-dead-us-has-body/> has largely been shrouded in secrecy <http://www.thehotjoints.com/2011/05/04/bin-laden-raid-accidentally-reveals- secret-stealth-helicopter/> . The type of raid that was launched on Bin Laden's compound isn't rare by any means. Dozens of similar raids happen every week throughout Afghanistan. Not typically using SEAL Team 6 or "DevGru <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Special_Warfare_Developmen t_Group> ," but Special Operations "Kill/Capture" missions. Gen. Petraeus has increased the number of K/C missions four fold since assuming command <http://www.thehotjoints.com/2010/06/28/gen-mcchrystal-to-retire/> from Gen. McChrystal. The Counter-Insurgency strategy (COIN <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-insurgency> ) the US is pursuing in Afghanistan is usually discussed in terms of "hearts and minds." Soldiers and Marines take over an area, secure it from Taliban attacks, and then stay to rebuild. This in theory will engender good will with the population and make them turn away from militancy. However, the other side of COIN is "Kill/Capture." Petraeus says the hearts and minds part won't work unless the enemy is kept on the run. Meaning we aggressively hunt down the enemy and kill him. I've listened to an awful lot of bloviating about Counter Insurgency over the last 10 years and never before have I heard such emphasis put on "Kill/Capture." It makes perfect sense, but I don't recall hearing the same kind of rhetoric. What is really going on here is something quite different. What we did in Iraq was the classic COIN strategy. That same strategy is allegedly what Obama agreed to a year or so ago in Afghanistan. But something has clearly changed during that time. It seems the administration and the Pentagon correctly realized that we simply do not have the force size, the time, or the treasure to "clear, hold, and build." It ain't gonna happen. Afghanistan is still living in biblical times. We are trying to create a civil society from scratch. Iraq already had a civil society for us to build on. The emphasis has clearly changed to one of hunting and killing the enemy until we break their will. We don't just use JSOC <http://www.thenation.com/blog/160332/jsoc-black-ops-force-took-down-bin-lad en> (the guys who killed Bin Laden) for hunting down high value targets anymore. We hunt down mid-level Taliban, money and logistics personnel, spiritual leaders, etc. If you have clout in the Taliban at any level, one night very soon your number will be up. A bomb will drop on you or a team of commandos will drop out of the sky and shoot you in the face. Based on this Frontline documentary it seems to be having the intended effect. We've thinned the ranks of the Taliban in some areas of Afghanistan to the point where men barely out of their teens are becoming Taliban "commanders." Not because they're awesome fighters, but because we've killed everyone else. As one official points out, the younger ones are more radical but they're also sloppy. They have no battlefield experience and are therefore easier to kill. At some point the hope is that this relentless campaign will bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. I'm not convinced this will happen, but it's worth a shot. What we were doing before wasn't working so we might as well kick some ass while we're there. My reason for skepticism is a simple one. Religion. We Americans still don't understand that these people believe they're on a mission from God. We're killing people who want to die. I'm not sure you can defeat an enemy who isn't afraid to die. Our enemy welcomes death. It's difficult for US policy makers to grasp the idea that a group of people would not have some kind of underlying political or financial grievance that can eventually be met. We've never faced an enemy like that before. They're not joking about this Jihad crap. They really do believe they're going to heaven for killing us. Radical Islam is their motivation. We are the infidel enemy. Nothing will ever change that. That is why no amount of negotiation will ever cause Iran to give up its nuke program. They are on a mission from "Allah." Watch the full episode <http://video.pbs.org/video/1917910631> . See more FRONTLINE. <http://www.pbs.org/frontline/> Watch the full episode <http://video.pbs.org/video/1917910631> . See more FRONTLINE. <http://www.pbs.org/frontline/> Watch the full episode <http://video.pbs.org/video/1917910631> . See more FRONTLINE. <http://www.pbs.org/frontline/> Watch the full episode <http://video.pbs.org/video/1917910631> . See more FRONTLINE. <http://www.pbs.org/frontline/> Watch the full episode <http://video.pbs.org/video/1917910631> . See more FRONTLINE. <http://www.pbs.org/frontline/> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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