[lbo-talk] The Escalating Air War in Afghanistan

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Sun Jun 18 12:16:09 PDT 2006


[My first reaction to this is that it seems like nothing so much as the Churchhill in Iraq in 1920 controlling local tribes by dropping bombs on them. My second is: the Taliban is already up to fielding battalion-size units?? Wow is this is an accelerated curve. Wow are we losing. Wow is Canada in for trouble when they take over the area in a few months.]

Slate Today's Papers summary by Joshua Kucera

URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2143965/fr/nl/

According to military data, the US has conducted 340 air strikes in Afghanistan in the past three months, more than double the figure for Iraq. US officials say both they and the Taliban are more aggressive than they've been the last three springs. Air strikes are becoming a more common option because the Taliban, which had been operating only in small units, has started using formations of as many as 400 men, making them attractive targets from the air. In addition, the US has modified its bombs to make them better at hitting cave mouths on nearly vertical rock faces.

WashPost lead article he's summarizing (and distilling):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/print/asectionfrontimage.html

Michael



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