Well That Frightened Them Didn't It?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2600979/Video-shows-RAF-Tornado-spot-Taliban-insurgents-planting-IED.html

A typical example of fighting evil with one hand tied behind our backs.

/// The Tornados did not fire missiles at the insurgents so they could exploit evidence from the IEDs and gather intelligence on who was laying them. ///

We know who are laying them, the Taliban.

Why didn't the Tornado crew fire a missile rather than the flares they fired so as to frighten the insurgents? These bomb planters were free to plant more bombs at a later date, and then perhaps then they would not be discovered and more lives could have been lost?

/// 'It is always satisfying to know our aircrew have made a real difference to our colleagues on the ground.' ///

Yes I am sure it is, but I think our troops on the ground, would rather know that the bombs have been destroyed and the bomb layers are no longer around to lay more of their maiming and killing devices.

[Quoi]

How cheap life is in your world aog -these are people you want to just remove from the planet. If the position of the bombs are known then why kill them as ultimate punishment.

[whiskeryron]

What a pity the Tornado crew didn't ask for a helicopter to follow the terrorists home & then destroy the lot so that they could not do it again.

[whiskeryron]

quoi, get real.

[Quoi]

Thanks whiskeryron - will do

[ToraToraTora]

It's another example of what happens when only one side is adhering to Queesnbury rules.

[anotheoldgit]

Quoi

/// If the position of the bombs are known then why kill them as ultimate punishment. ///

So they are not free to kill or maim any more of our young men and women.

And so they are not free to scamper away muttering "better luck next time".

[Quoi]

//So they are not free to kill or maim any more of our young men and women. //

Fair enough but just killing a few more isnt going to resolve the problem is it.

It is their culture that drives them to act as they do. You can criticise that but what are we going to do, kill every one of them?

[Gromit]

/// The Tornados did not fire missiles at the insurgents so they could exploit evidence from the IEDs and gather intelligence on who was laying them. ///

Not fighting with one arm beind our backs. The Tornado crew did not fire missiles because they wanted to preserve the evidence. It was their choice, not any rule imposed on them not to shoot.
The idea of preserving evidence is so they can stop the supply of components and make it more difficult to make future IEDs.

By not killing those Taliban, they could be saving more of our lives.

[Svejk]

///It is their culture that drives them to act as they do. You can criticise that but what are we going to do, kill every one of them?///

now you're talking.
perhaps it was hard to blast them without destroying the bridge and/or the road and 'derailing' the convoy.

[paddywak]

My nieces daughter is married to a fine young man with two sons under the age of five.He is also a sargeant who has to deal with these IED's he's lost several good friends along the way and has now been told that he is to be among the last detachment of British troops to serve in Afghanistan.While I can see the logic in trying to preserve evidence etc I personally wish they'd just blow the bastards away so our boys don't have to risk their lives actually going out to collecting that evidence.

[anotheoldgit]

Quoi

/// Fair enough but just killing a few more isnt going to resolve the problem is it. It is their culture that drives them to act as they do. You can criticise that but what are we going to do, kill every one of them? ///

Well it would definitely resolve the problem.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// Not fighting with one arm beind our backs. The Tornado crew did not fire missiles because they wanted to preserve the evidence. ///

/// It was their choice, not any rule imposed on them not to shoot.
The idea of preserving evidence is so they can stop the supply of components and make it more difficult to make future IEDs. ///

This is not state of the art explosive devices we are talking about, these are simple put together devices, don't you think that our intelligence doesn't already know what they are made of?

Had they have fired a rocket it would have got rid of a few more bomb planters so that they could not go on further to plant even more devices, and it would have also removed the risk of any bomb disposal squad operatives risking their lives making the said devices safe.



By not killing those Taliban, they could be saving more of our lives.

[anotheoldgit]

Sorry forgot to delete your last line.

[youngmafbog]

Seems odd, you would think top priority would be to get shot of as many of them as possible.

Bet they aer having a right laugh at our expense.

Still it appeases the liberals no doubt.

[New Judge]

"I would have thought the most important thing for the government and army leaders is to do everything they can to minimise the loss of British lives in Afghanistan. "

The simplest way to achieve that aim (with 100% success) is to remove our troops from that godforsaken place forthwith.

One needs to be careful when commenting on the tactics of troops. We only hear a snippet of what is happening - heavily distorted in the direction of the view of whatever newspaper is publishing it - and to be honest we do not have a clue what is happening or why.

[Ken4155]

Watched the documentary last night, "Marine A - Criminal or casualty of war, and in it one of those interviewed said that if our lads spot an armed insurgent, they can do nothing but watch until they are fired upon!! Whilst I was in the army and serving tours of duty in Northern Ireland, i was issued with a 'Yellow Card', detailing the rules of engagement. If we saw armed civilians or anything else untoward, we had to issue a series of challenges. Basically it boiled down to the fact that we had to shout "Halt" at least 3 times and warn the target that we were preparing to load our rifles and that we would shoot. One arm tied behind our backs, indeed. Nothing changes.