Stars and Stripes is reporting today that General David Petraeus will be clarifying the current Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan rather than issuing new rules.
The article reports:
"Gen. David Petraeus, who became commander of all forces in Afghanistan on Sunday, is expected to issue a new tactical directive in a matter of days, according to Col. Rich Gross, the chief legal adviser to International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
"Gross said confusion in the field over the existing tactical directive, which seeks to lessen civilian casualties by specifying when force can be used against Taliban insurgents, has resulted in some soldiers feeling as if they are fighting a war with their hands tied."
I realize that there are two sides to every story, but we do need to remember that we are fighting an enemy that has their own Rules of Engagement. We are fighting an enemy that does not hesitate to use civilians as shields or Mosques as military headquarters and then screams to high heaven if civilians are hurt or Mosques fired upon. We can be either smart about this or stupid. If we choose not to be smart, I suggest we bring our soldiers home.
When Harry Truman dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan, a lot of people were killed. However, a lot of Japanese lives were saved and a lot of American lives were saved because the war ended abruptly. I am not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination that we use nuclear weapons on Afghanistan, but I am suggesting we subdue the country forcefully (as we did in Japan) and work from there.
I hope the Rules of Engagement will reflect a desire to win this war and bring our troops home.
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