Yet another epitaph " Above all he showed courageous restraint"

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independen...ly-to-dispatch-30000-

/// Brigadier Cowan said soldiers under fire are being told to exercise “courageous restraint” so as not to put civilians at risk: “Consider whether it is even worth firing back, consider whether there are civilians in between you and them, consider whether you can move to a position of advantage. Certainly if you can kill the enemy, do that, but show that courageous restraint.”///

We stand very little hope of winning the war in Afghanistan, when our troops are tied down by such ridiculous rules of combat such as this.

What are they out there for, target practice?

[daffy654]

Of course they aren't out there for target practice...but neither are the innocent civilians who may be in the way.

[rojash]

Interesting that you think that avoiding killing innocent civilians is ridiculous AOG. When my dad was seriously (and permanently) injured after taking shots in the legs and gut during WWII, he thought he was helping to make the world safe from people like you.

[kinell]

well our soldiers, even in ww1 used to walk towards the enemy

we all recognise the stupidity of that

it was old military tactics when life was cheap

now of course we have armoured vehicles of all types and helicopters etc

how strange it is when watching our troops on tv they always seem to be walking around?

looks like old military tactics to me - when life was cheap

and why would we risk lives defusing bombs?

in uk we carry out controlled explosions

we may be doing our nato duty but the death of just one of our soldiers is unjustified

[rov1200]

There are now no innocent civilians in Afghanistan. They want us out as much as the Taliban. The Army and politicians have embarked on a crusade where to turn back is to lose face.

[sp1814]

"There are now no innocent civilians in Afghanistan"

I think there are a few dead civvies who might argue against that...or at least they could...if they weren't dead.

[Sandy-Wroe]

"There are now no innocent civilians in Afghanistan." Wasn't that the philosophy of the Americans in Vietnam? It lead to war crimes like the slaughter of innocents in My-Lai

[rojash]

"There are now no innocent civilians in Afghanistan. They want us out"
Cheeky sods! They want us out just because we invaded their country - how unreasonable can they get?

[anotheoldgit]

rojash

I don't suppose then, that your dad didn't kill innocent civilians at one time also? Unfortunately, It was not only the Nazis that killed innocent civilians.

The two cannot be compared, it is a different kind of warfare that is being carried out in Afghanistan, one doesn't know who are innocent or who is not.

Would you like to be out there and face the choice of being shot or shooting first? Why should it be us that have to fight with one hand tied behind our backs?

It is alright taking on the moral high ground, when all; you have to worry about is who is going to be chucked off "The X Factor" or is your team going to win on Saturday?

Wake up and smell the coffee, it's a hard and unjust world out there.

[rojash]

"I don't suppose then, that your dad didn't kill innocent civilians at one time also?"
I'm pretty sure he didn't take the attitude that avoiding killing them was (to use your won word) "ridiculous"

"The two cannot be compared, it is a different kind of warfare that is being carried out in Afghanistan, one doesn't know who are innocent or who is not.

Yes, the the first of two major differences that spring to mind is that my dad, like most WWII soldiers was there because he had no choice. The modern army is composed entirely of well paid professionals. The second is that we were fighting the Germans in response to the invasion of Poland, whereas we invaded Afghanistan because some Saudi Arabians attacked the US.

"It is alright taking on the moral high ground, when all; you have to worry about is who is going to be chucked off "The X Factor" or is your team going to win on Saturday? "
Not shown on Greek TV, so can't really comment on that one :-)

"Wake up and smell the coffee, it's a hard and unjust world out there." That's true - it's full of little-englander neo-nazis posting in the AB.