Smart Power: US Soldiers Won’t Be Able to Attack Taliban

marines_1643254c

Far more American soldiers died in Afghanistan under Obama than under Bush. But the hand-tying that cost so many American lives has only begun.

As the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan ends on Dec. 31, American troops will still conduct counter-terrorism operations, but only if the terrorists “directly threaten our people or our allies,” Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.

“And we’ve also said that we’re not going to target Taliban simply by virtue of the fact that they’re Taliban. So being a member of the Taliban doesn’t — doesn’t mean that the United States is going to prosecute operations against you for that reason alone.”

Kirby said any member of the Taliban who “undertakes missions against us or our Afghan partners” will face a military response.

To summarize, the Taliban will have the initiative and the ability to carry out attacks without worrying about interference, only defense and reprisals. At this point why not just disarm American soldiers or tell them to attack with flowers in their gun barrels.

 

  • kasandra

    I guess our Dear Leader never heard that the best defense is a strong offense. Too busy smoking choom, I guess.

  • Mongo66

    After all those years, lives and money spent trying to eliminate the Taliban, Barack Obama surrenders to them, acts as if they are our ally and craps on everything we did. Notice no one has a run the story about the US militaries sharp drop in recruitment numbers. From Viet Nam to Afghanistan/Iraq, what person in their right mind will ever serve in this country’s military as long as the US Taliban, aka, the DNC, still exists?

  • cree

    The mission ends on the last day of 2014 as if Jan. 1st, 2015… well, it’s the Obama version of when mission accomplished will be. Kinda like self fulfilling prophecy by narcissism.

    It’s Progressive to end wars on the last day of the year. History will make appropriate note of that and by whom’s wondrous leadership.

    • Space Cowboy

      It doesn’t matter. The war was misguided as heck. Indeed, lifting up our eternal mortal enemies and the eternal mortal enemies of all infidels in the world is about as counterproductive as it gets. May as well just blow our own brains out!

  • http://www.stubbornthings.org NAHALKIDES

    Obviously the lamestream media is AWOL on this story. But what about Republican leaders?
    “Boehner?…Boehner?….Boehner?”

  • JayWye

    Now that Pakistan seems to have had enough from the Taliban in their FATAs,Comrade Obama gives the Taliban safe harbor back in Afghanistan,along with the ability to capture more and more Afghan territory,working their way back to complete control of Afghanistan,where they were when Bin Laden attacked the WTC on 9-11-01.

    I SWEAR Comrade Obama is working -against- the US.
    it’s enemy action,deliberate.

  • Space Cowboy

    Actually, the war in Afghanistan was about as fantasy based as the war in Iraq, as both wars amounted to lifting up our eternal mortal enemies out of poverty. Because according to our US government and our incompetent politicians on both sides of the political aisles, “poverty and despair” are the “root causes” of terrorism, and never mind the fact that Muslims are not terrorists, which typically comprise only a tiny minority of radicals and extremists, but jihadists instead waging a jihad against ALL INFIDELS IN THE WORLD to ultimately make Islam and its followers supreme.

    Indeed, ALL MUSLIMS IN THE WORLD ARE JIHADISTS in one form or another because waging jihad is a fundamental holy obligation COMPULSORY for ALL MUSLIMS IN THE WORLD in one form or another. Thus, in effect we spent all those years and trillions of dollars in Afghanistan lifting up what are our eternal mortal enemies. In fact, that exercise, like the one in Iraq also, couldn’t have been more counterproductive, not to mention idiotic.

    As a matter of fact, hundreds of American troops were murdered in cold blood in the line of duty not by the Taliban but by the Afghan people themselves they were helping. Yet, that never seemed to phase our so-called politicians.

    What did we gain in Afghanistan after all these years? The same thing we gained in Iraq, not a damn thing. Yet GWB is revered as a great war time President by clueless Republicans and by Fox News. Meanwhile, millions of people still naively believe that Islam is a so-called “religion of peace,” that most Muslims are so-called “moderate” Muslims, and that so-called “terrorists” are radicals and extremists that comprise only a tiny minority.

    In fact, most Republicans ridicule Obama and his acolytes for not using such words as “terrorists” and “radical Muslim” to describe what are in reality jihadists. At the same time they believe the millions of non-violent Muslim migrants living in the USA and throughout the infidel world are so-called moderate Muslims. In other words, they don’t have a fricking clue. I wonder why?

    How’s that for telling it like it is?

    • Silent Waft

      I agree, although by the same logic, Christianity is clearly not a “religion of peace”

  • meggy8868

    My son having spent 9 months in Afghanistan can attest to these rules of engagement. A local you have trained can become ,in seconds, an armed jihadist with an IED . Never turn your back and never trust your “allies.”

    • Space Cowboy

      Muslims are not our allies. They are our eternal mortal enemies. Indeed, we spent all those years in Afghanistan lifting up our eternal mortal enemies. There is something awfully wrong in this country!