tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post3844133596065058257..comments2023-05-03T06:25:35.057-05:00Comments on Writer's Musings: Understanding the "Dark Side" of AfghanistanJ. L. Kruegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03335606939334631954noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post-84506888185410225912008-07-16T10:24:00.000-05:002008-07-16T10:24:00.000-05:00other blog???excellent, thanks.I heard very little...other blog???<BR/><BR/>excellent, thanks.<BR/><BR/>I heard very little actually, but I was thinking of the casualties.ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post-21606381674604242952008-07-16T00:29:00.000-05:002008-07-16T00:29:00.000-05:00Sex,The press has, as usual, blown the whole thing...Sex,<BR/><BR/>The press has, as usual, blown the whole thing way out of proportion. A bad day for those who died and their families, but having the Taliban attack one of our outposts openly was exactly what we wanted.<BR/><BR/>The bad guys had a 3 to 1 numerical advantage and wound up on the bad end of an 11 to 1 casualty exchange. <BR/><BR/>In purely military terms, it was a good day for our side. In strategic terms in that particular province it was an outstanding day because the locals got to see the Taliban have their butts handed to them. So the attack actually hurt <I>their</I> "street cred" while raising ours. We are already reaping significant intelligence rewards by the locals in that province coming forward and providing information as a direct result.<BR/><BR/>I'll have more analysis on my other blog a bit later today.J. L. Kruegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03335606939334631954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post-77824783690347584632008-07-16T00:22:00.000-05:002008-07-16T00:22:00.000-05:00Charles,We Americans have a tendency to want to si...Charles,<BR/><BR/>We Americans have a tendency to want to simplify and synthesize everything into neat packages. The reality is that few human interactions can be so easily packaged.<BR/><BR/>Sex,<BR/><BR/>Badal in this environment makes for very courteous people. One is so careful to avoid causing offense, which might result in a feud, that people here are incredibly polite.<BR/><BR/>Of course with so many firearms available, the imperative to be polite is even greater.J. L. Kruegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03335606939334631954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post-43470137231407596722008-07-15T10:45:00.000-05:002008-07-15T10:45:00.000-05:00Sounds like it was a rough day there yesterday. D...Sounds like it was a rough day there yesterday. Do be careful.ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post-68990508140375175622008-07-14T12:07:00.000-05:002008-07-14T12:07:00.000-05:00Thank you for the intriguing explanation of their ...Thank you for the intriguing explanation of their culture. <BR/><BR/>I always call Americans the unruly teenagers on the block--you know, the ones who know better than their elders? By most standards, we are children when it comes to culture. <BR/><BR/>Badal is an intriguing concept.ssashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527483283426518167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767345199151369888.post-74674312917589430542008-07-13T10:39:00.000-05:002008-07-13T10:39:00.000-05:00Great points all. I like the quote from the triba...Great points all. I like the quote from the tribal fellow about how long he's been the different things. We tend to forget that here. And good point about how all the violence isn't terrorism in the normal sense. I mean, the US is a violent country and we wouldn't want someone one coming in here "fixing" us.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com