Bill is interviewed by Richard Fernandez of the Belmont Club, on Operation Mountain Thrust.
Download the file at Pajamas Media.
Bill is interviewed by Richard Fernandez of the Belmont Club, on Operation Mountain Thrust.
Download the file at Pajamas Media.
A letter just sent to The Times of London:
‘Simon Jenkins, in his column, “Under the Afghan sun, a dark new reality is taking shape” (June 18),
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-2230703,00.html
writes that British troops are working with “some reluctant Canadians”. That is an insult to the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. I doubt very much that Mr Jenkins has bothered to talk to them. They now number some 2,300 personnel; they are carrying out their mission with the utmost professionalism, with dedication, and with enthusiasm. There may be considerable reluctance about the mission amongst the populace in Canada but there is not amongst the troops in the field.
I might moreover point out that Canadian Brigadier-General David Fraser is now the Commander of Regional Command South in Afghanistan. Brigadier-General Fraser is in fact in operational command [Combined Task Force Aegis] of the UK forces engaged in Operation Mountain Thrust, a fact not mentioned by Mr Jenkins.
Indeed Mr Jenkins’ ignorance of what is actually going on is further demonstrated in this phrase of his purporting to describe what will happen after the operation is finished: “When the troops return to the security of Kabul…” That is nonsense as the troops with be returning to their bases in Regional Command South, not to Kabul where they are not stationed.’
Mark
Ottawa
I must admitt that when I read that little pandering yesterday I laughed. Because I had just been reading about this major assault on UN forces, where 1 copter and 2 tanks were taken out by the resistance, then there’s this nut bad mouthing the people helping. lol
War of the willing????
I also read where the US was allowing the northern alliance to grow opium, for their help in over throwing the Taliban. So now we’ve been letting the Taliban rejoin the government, Seems like were just there to watch? The houses and hosiptals schools aren’t quite as important yet but after they get safe water and electricity daily, highest infant mortality anywhere. Legalizing the opium would put some out of business and solve alot of the violence. Telling people to starve isn’t how you win friends and influence people. Not only would it solve the alot of the violence but it would help the world shortage. The American Banks love those Tax free dollars, so the business won’t ever go away.
Look at whats happening the longer the troops stay the more isolated they become, in Iraq the most violent provinces now are the ones that waved at the troops when they first arrived, happy to be free, so why do they hate the Americans now?
Murder and Abuse, more and more troops are coming out and talking about their trip through the Middle East and what they were told to do.
Letter to Sunday Times, actually.
Mark
Ottawa
Sam, as soon as you start saying you read that 2 tanks were destroyed, it’s impossible to take anything you say seriously. Quit reading Taliban propaganda sites, especially when they talk about “american tanks” being destroyed, when as far as I know, the US has no tanks in Afghanistan. There were none there when I lwft anyway. Christ, my mom showed me that site when I got home from my last deployment there. They were talking about all this stuff that supposedly happened, and not one thing they said was true. I was there, I know. Just like I remember my first deployment. My mom sent me a print out from that site, in which they claimed to have killed over 3,000 American soldiers. Um……no. Apparently their propoganda war is working just fine on people like you.
Actually, I somewhat take back part of what I said. I suppose a LAV or a Bradley or other armored vehicles could be considered a “tank,” although I haven’t heard of any being destroyed recently.
This was suppose to have happened on the weekend.
I’ve lost the site I found it at.
You can never tell whos telling the truth in a war.
But peace will come alot quicker if the US leaves Afghanistan.
Your right about the Bradleys, I’ve noticed that some call anything with armour a tank.
This was suppose to have happened on the weekend. I’ve lost the site I found it at.—How C-o-n-v-e-n-i-e-n-t .
You can never tell whose telling the truth in a war.— Not in moral equivalency world evidently. No possibility of determining the likely reality when you have the EVIl Yankees and their stooges on the one side and the monstrous Islamists on the other. How to decide?
But peace will come alot quicker if the US leaves Afghanistan.— Peace in Europe would have come a lot quicker as well, had Britain just been less ‘unilateral’, and made some ‘accomodation’ with the Germans. Peace is NOT a goal onto itself(well for you it probably is). It is a state of being predicated upon a ‘reasonable’ objective situation. Supporting the monsters of the Taliban, and their Al-Queda partners-in-crime is NOT a ‘reasonable’ objective situation.
As CJS states — stop reading those jihadist web-sites for your world updates. Your head is rapidly diappearing into your nether regions.
ps– Your Iraqi statement(“in Iraq the most violent provinces now are the ones that waved at the troops when they first arrived, happy to be free”) is clueless as well. The most violent areas are those that opposed the US from Day 1, and Baghdad which is a ‘mixed’ zone. The people blowing things and people up NEVER waved except with an AK-47 in hand.
Last news site I go to and it should’ve been the first, lol.
Militants claim downing US helicopter
17. June 2006, 13:18
PESHAWAR (The News) – Taliban claimed on Friday that their fighters shot down a US helicopter and destroyed two military vehicles in two days’ fighting with the coalition forces in the Paktika province of Afghanistan.
I saw at the DoD that they only list 3 dead on the weekend.
From Afghan News Network
Separately, two coalition soldiers were killed when their vehicle was blown up in the eastern Kunar province.
From BBC
When they say coalition troops killed 40 or 50 Taliban, the Taliban aren’t Terrorist, NOT LISTED on the US or Canada’s Terrorist lists. But its an easy name to say. Sometimes these Taliban turn out to be women and children or just some guy walking home in the wrong place.
Thats why we have the media over there, to tell us the truth. But it seems the US has alienated everyone and now its not safe to go outside the wire. So they just ask the generals.
First of all, what’s the “news site?” Do you have a link? What’s the name of it? Second, the Taliban “claimed” to have done this? The Taliban “claims” alot of things. As I said, they claimed to have killed 3,000 US soldiers at one point, when I was there and know for a fact that not one single US soldier was killed, or even wounded. They claimed to have killed about 150 US soldiers in December 2005, and blown up a bunch of US tanks. I was there. Again, none of that had happened.
Ok, now I see what site you’re talking about. It even says right at the bottom “However, his claims could not be verified from independent sources.” That story was taken from a Taliban propoganda site. Basically everything on that Taliban site is a load of crap. As for alientating everyone there, that’s crap as well. Most Afghani’s like us and want us there. Afghanistan is not that dangerous, and it’s certainly not very dangerous for reporters, as long as they’re smart enough not to drive around in the dark in a civilian vehicle.
You know, I just realized the irony here. First you say that Bill Roggio(and I’ve seen you say the same things about Michael Yon) are “pandering” and “bad mouthing,” even though they’re the guys out there, that go outside the wire with the troops, and report what they see. Then you say that the media’s over there to report the truth, but because of the US, it’s not safe to go outside the wire, so they just ask the generals. So the reporters that do go outside the wire, like Roggio and Yon, are not telling the truth, but you wish others would go outside the wire so you can learn the truth? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Basically, you want reporters that will tell the truth as you see it, the anti US truth which you obviously believe, not reporters that tell you what’s actually going on over there. Ok, I get it now, you don’t actually want the truth. Thanks for clearing that up.
I think your confused, but it could be from listening to too many of Bush’s speeches.
Residents, many of whom opposed Saddam Hussein and welcomed the U.S. decision to topple him, say there was no resistance in Nader, just Iraqi troops fleeing north through the area toward Baghdad.
The cluster attack began mid-morning on March 31.
“I wish they’d shelled with regular artillery, not with those bloody cluster bombs,” says retired civil servant Ali Selman al-Isawi, whose son, Wisam, 30, was killed that day. “Regular shells would hit only one spot, not every place just like a rain of death.” Al-Isawi, 58, took six bodies to the morgue in his car.
The scenes from Nader that day, including footage of a baby torn in half, were so gruesome that Western Television Networks refused to air them. The dead child, 2 months old, was Jacob al-Timimi.
But this kind of stuff is shown daily around the world.
From USA Today
Do you think that things like this helped turn the people against the US?
Even the Brits had it good for awhile then all the beatings and murders turned the people against them.
Your right most afghanis like the Canadians Its the US they Hate.
How come your heros never reported about the killings of prisoners?
A documentary film, Massacre in Mazar, by Irish director Jamie Doran, was shown to selected audiences in Europe last week, provoking demands for an international inquiry into US war crimes in Afghanistan.
Afghan Massacre: Reported after the “Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death” was Broadcast Simultaneously on over 140 Radio and Cable Public Access Stations, Satellite TV and the Internet Marking Its First U.S. Showing May 26, 2003
The whole worlds been talking about it, but not a word from some, why no investigative reporting from them?
Its been over 3 years now.
First of all, when I say “we” I’m referring to the US. I was in the US Army, not Canadian. And the Afghani’s still loved us and wanted us there. But go ahead and believe that the US is the source of all evil.
As for the “documentary,” maybe you should actually look at what it’s about. Number one, it’s about Northern Alliance soldiers, with minimal involvement by US soldiers. Number two, all it uses is “eyewitness accounts” which is basically a case of he said/he said. I could say I was there the whole time and the prisoners were treated like kings. All it comes down to is one persons word against anothers. Now of course, you would believe the anti american side, but in truth, neither can be believed conclusively until someone comes up with full investigative evidence.
Number 3, you should be a little leery of anyone that claims American soldiers “poured acid” on a prisoner. Where did they get the acid? It’s not like acid is something that people just carry around in the field. It’s not like there’s a big call for acid.
In fact, the movie even talks about the fact that US involvement is debateable.
Not to mention the fact that there was a well documented massacre in Mazar in 1998, by the Taliban in fact, of civilians. A Human Rights Watch report to the UN strangely documented the exact same charges, plus worse things, against the Taliban in November of 1998, including the loading of prisoners into containers, shooting into containers, people suffocating in the containers, the fact the up to 5,000 men are still unaccounted for. It’s quite odd that the exact same thing the Taliban did in 1998, and were under investigation for, is the same thing that these “eyewitnesses” are now coming forward and accusing the Northern Alliance and US of doing. According to the Human Rights Watch report, which again, was filed in 1998, the Taliban had created alot of mass graves in Mazar and strangely, the other 3 areas that the filmmaker mentions in his film. I have to say, that’s a whole lot of coincidences. Kind of convenient, don’t you think?
Try looking a little deeper, beyond your anti american bias, and maybe you’ll start seeing a bit more that’s out there. It’s not like this info was difficult to find. apparently the Talibans propoganda war is working out quite well for them.
Well thats the point, right, to find out what happened?
So why isn’t anything being done?
Besides I have Family over there, 2nd tour Iraq.
Maybe you should go and talk with more of the troops over there, Iraq.
Not a word about the US using Cluster Bombs in highly populated areas, like cities?
The use of these weapons is hotly opposed by many individuals and groups, such as the Red Cross, the NGO Cluster Munition Coalition and the United Nations, because of the high proportion of civilians that have fallen victim to the weapon.
The area affected by a single cluster munition, also known as the footprint, can be as large as two or three football fields.
depending on type and their use, between 1% and 40% of the bomblets do not explode on impact[2]. These unexploded ordnance (duds) present a particularly dense and dangerous form of post-conflict contamination and may unintentionally act like anti-personnel land mines (which have been banned in many countries under the Ottawa Treaty) for several years.
Fallujah all forms of nature were wiped out in that city. I can even say that we found dozens, if not hundreds, of stray
dogs, cats, and birds that had perished as a result of those gasses.
But not much has been done about that, might as well gas them all before someone else does?????
I did a tour in Iraq, and I’ll agree that cluster munitions are a hotly debated topic among REMF’s, although not among most of the infantrymen I know. Most infantrymen figure whatever does the most damage and gives them the best chance of staying alive is fine.
As far as the banning them, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. But as it stands right now, they aren’t banned, and I think you’d be hard pressed to find a major military nation that doesn’t use them, so sorry, no crime there. The UN always talks big, but most of their member nations practice the very things they rail against. How can you take seriously a body that elects China and Cuba to it’s Human Rights Council?
As far as Fallujah, well that may be, I can’t say, I wasn’t there. But I did have friends who were there then, and they never said anything about a bunch of poisoned cats or dogs or birds. But I’ve been very near White Phosphorous(very near in a relative sense obviously) and I certainly haven’t suffered any ill effects. WP has been around since the 19th century, and has been used in every war. The problem with WP that people have with it being used is that it sticks to skin and burns and can’t be put out unless it’s smothered, not that it poisons people. However, WP is not a banned substance by any treaty the US has signed anyway, including the Geneva convention. It is not counted under the chemical weapons convention in it’s normal use. It can be used against enemy combatants. It was not used to target civilians, despite what you may have heard. The Italian “documentary” shows dead civilians with their clothes on. Sorry, if they were killed by WP, it would have burned through at least some of their clothes. Should they have used it so close to civilians? No, they shouldn’t have. and that was a mistake. But it is not against any laws of war.
As far as you saying they “gassed” them? That’s totally incorrect. The Agency for Toxic substabces and Disease Registry states that there have been no recorded casualties from WP smoke alone. The Agency has set acute inhalation Minimum Risk Level (MRL) for white phosphorus smoke of 0.02mg/m³, the same as fuel oil fumes. So basically, it’s no more poinsonous than Fuel Oil fumes. Wow, what a terrible “gassing”
neutral – you’re being spanked. For your own sake, stop while you’re behind.
White Phosphorus
How can white Phosphorus affect my health?
Little information is available about the health effects that may be caused by white phosphorus. Most of what is known about the effects of breathing white phosphorus is from studies of workers. Most of what is known about the effects of eating white phosphorus is from reports of people eating rat poison or fireworks that contain it.
Breathing white phosphorus for short periods may cause coughing and irritation of the throat and lungs. Breathing white phosphorus for long periods may cause a condition known as phossy jaw which involves poor wound healing of the mouth and break down of the jaw bone.
Eating or drinking small amounts of white phosphorus may cause liver, heart or kidney damage, vomiting, stomach cramps, drowsiness, or death. We do not know what the effects are from eating or drinking very small amounts of white phosphorus-containing substances over long periods of time. Skin contact with burning white phosphorus may burn skin or cause liver heart and kidney damage.
The EPA has listed white phosphorus as a Hazardous Air Pollutant. The EPA requires that spills or accidental releases into the environment of 1 pound or more of white phosphorus be reported to the EPA.
Here’s a site with Marines, that were there, saying they used it against people in cities.
I’ve grown up in a military family from the building of Shilo, my grandfather, to Cold Lake. It’s from this that I say if they tell you something, the military, it’s not the whole story.
How many have suffered from Agent Orange? But they never used it on our troops, their story for years.
The US is the only country using white phosphorus.
Pouring it into cities is wrong.
The point of the cluster Bombs is that they’re not to be used in populated places. Because of the colours little kids like to pick them up, lots of injuries from these weapons.
First of all, it’s nearly impossible to breath WP for “long periods” because it rises too quickly. This is the reason that it is not that effective as a screening agent. It tends to lead to an effect called pilloring or columning, meaning it rises quite quickly, and disipates rather quickly. Again, there have been no deaths reported with the cause being WP inhalation, and the fumes have been classified as no more harmful than fuel oil fumes.
As far as eating it, why is someone eating it anyway? It’s not really a powder that can flow around and settle on food. As soon as it’s exposed to air, it burns until it’s gone. Thrre couldn’t be any left for someone to accidently eat. As well, the smoke, again, rises, and dissipates. It does not settle. Therefore, how did it get into food or drinking water?
As far as the EPA goes, again, as I said before, the use of WP is not against any convention, or rules of war that the US is a signatory of. And that’s really the main point isn’t it? You want to make a war crime out something that is not against the rules of war.
As far as I know, they did use it against people in cities. ENEMY COMBATANTS. Certainly civilians were most likely hit. Oh my god, you mean innocent people die in war? STOP THE PRESSES!! I don’t see why this is so difficult to grasp. Again, not against any rules of war.
Again, I was in the military. I know what’s true and what isn’t from them, thank you very much.
The US is not the only country that uses WP, and that’s just an outright lie. Actually quite a few countries still use the rounds. Perhaps not as anti personnel rounds, but they do still use them. It might be used as a screening agent, but again, they do use them.
If you think it’s wrong to use it in cities, that’s fine. If you think cluster bombs are wrong, that’s also fine. But the point remains that neither of these weapons are banned by any treaty or convention that the US is a part of, and therefore, not illegal, hence no war crime, hence no reason for you to be complaining.
White Phosphorus
How can white Phosphorus affect my health?
Little information is available about the health effects that may be caused by white phosphorus. Most of what is known about the effects of breathing white phosphorus is from studies of workers. Most of what is known about the effects of eating white phosphorus is from reports of people eating rat poison or fireworks that contain it.
Breathing white phosphorus for short periods may cause coughing and irritation of the throat and lungs. Breathing white phosphorus for long periods may cause a condition known as phossy jaw which involves poor wound healing of the mouth and break down of the jaw bone.
Eating or drinking small amounts of white phosphorus may cause liver, heart or kidney damage, vomiting, stomach cramps, drowsiness, or death. We do not know what the effects are from eating or drinking very small amounts of white phosphorus-containing substances over long periods of time. Skin contact with burning white phosphorus may burn skin or cause liver heart and kidney damage.
The EPA has listed white phosphorus as a Hazardous Air Pollutant. The EPA requires that spills or accidental releases into the environment of 1 pound or more of white phosphorus be reported to the EPA.
Here’s a site with Marines,Jeff Eglehar, that were there, saying they used it against people in cities.
Provided by the Studies Centre of Human Rights in Fallujah, dozens of high-quality, colour close-ups show bodies of Fallujah residents, some still in their beds, whose clothes remain largely intact but whose skin has been dissolved or caramelised or turned the consistency of leather by the shells.
A biologist in Fallujah, Mohamad Tareq, interviewed for the film, says: “A rain of fire fell on the city, the people struck by this multi-coloured substance started to burn, we found people dead with strange wounds, the bodies burned but the clothes intact.”
But like the people of New Orleans These people were forgotten.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/08/1516227
I’ve grown up in a military family from the building of Shilo, my grandfather, to Cold Lake. It’s from this that I say if they tell you something, the military, it’s not the whole story.
How many have suffered from Agent Orange? But they never used it on our troops, their story for years.
If we go with what the Troops on the ground want then we should just block off all roads leading in or out of the cities and gas the lot. That way no one would get hurt from ourside all the men would come home. But where does it stop? We use WP in their cities they use Mustard gas in our cities.
1000’s of young children died in Fallujah.
Why are journalists who write about Fallujah Arrested without Charges, if what they write goes against the US story. Fadhil says U.S. troops have not returned several videotapes they took from him.
Corpswatch is good to see some of whats going on
So those little kids sleeping in their beds were a danger to you?
Tell the rest that Fallujah is about the size of s’toon and regina combined and the attack came at night knowing that women and children were there because they had no where else to go, as New Orleans, So they died. Lots of Pictures of the women and children with the skin burnt off their faces and bodies, Trenches of Bodies why doesn’t this hit the Main stream?
The next town is about the size of Winnipeg, Ramadi, and just because the US didn’t sign on doesn’t make it legal, did saddam sign on?
I don’t know how many times I have to say it. WP is not against any conventions or treaties that the US is a signatory of. As far as Saddam, actually yes, he did sign the treaty banning chemical weapons. Once again, WP is not classified as a chemical weapon, simple as that. One reason it may not hit the mainstream is because it can’t be proven. I’m sure you’d love to just have the MSM talk about everything on every jihad website, but you know, the MSM at least isn’t that stupid yet.