Deaths in Afghanistan

[kestrelg]

All too often we hear the terrible news of the loss of the lives of British soldiers in Afghanistan.
Has there been any announcements of the number of Afghan deaths or what success rate our troops are having ( if killing the enemy can be described as success).

[rov1200]

There is but its a secret. This Army officer is facing a court martial for giving out sensitive data

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/05/afgha nistan-british-army-owen-mcnally

[R1Geezer]

No and who gives a sh1t, their whole existance is not worth the snot out of 1 British soldiers nose. The important statistic is the one being reported. We tried to help they don't want it, pull out and let the scum kill each other, they whole sorry sh1t h0le is not worth one more soldier's life.

[anotheoldgit]

I cannot see that our troops are having any success, not as long as we continue to operate as we do at the moment.

It would seem that all we do is go out on patrol into the desert, where there is little or no cover whatsoever. In the process our troops are at risk of being blown up by road side bombs.

Where we make for a village or compound, if it is occupied by the Taliban, we exchange fire with them until they move out. We then move into the area shake a few hands with the so called civilians and try to explain to them why we are in their country, if there is anything we can do for them, and what cash hand outs they are entitled to.

After bidding them a fond farewell we then return to base, ready to start all over again another day.

What is the whole point, why can't we advance, occupy, hold, advance again and so on till we have either destroyed the Taliban or pushed them back over the border into Pakistan?

[rov1200]

What do the Taliban look like. Quite! They and the civilian population look identical. In fact in many cases they are the same reverting to combat when it suits them.

There should be a purge of men under 40 and enlist them in the Afghan Army to protect their own country. In WWII every available man was made to join up whether they liked it or not.