Negotiations, Afghan-style?

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - 8:56 PM Share

An American military press release out of Afghanistan begins, "Coalition forces launched precision airstrikes overnight against senior Haqqani commanders and command posts in the remote mountains of western Khost Province."

Old Bill Roggio adds, "More than a dozen fighters have been killed and 21 more were captured, including a commander, during airstrikes and raids since June 27."

At first blush, air strikes don't sound like the sort of negotiating with insurgents that people have come to expect from General Petraeus. But this might be the opening round. That is, look we can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. Okay, here's a taste of the hard way...

(HT to Blake Hounshell)

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

EXPLORE:CENTRAL ASIA, AFGHANISTAN, MILITARY

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CODYED

11:34 PM ET

June 30, 2009

They've had worse

It's unlikely we are going to cower the Taliban with a few precision air strikes. As Don Bacon has noted above, the Taliban has experienced air strike after air strike for the last seven years with little to show for it. These are the same type of people, mind you, that have stared down the Russian bear, took the bear's atrocities on the chin, and kept going.

The Taliban, if anything, are resourceful and persistent.

POPSIQ

3:47 AM ET

July 1, 2009

Same old, same old?

The nice thing about precision airstrikes is that they always start-off sounding great - in the press release at least. Then, as time passes, other details begin to tarnish The gilding somewhat. So far the latest story has broadened to include only 2 civilian deaths.

It must be difficult for the western military - who are used to leaving the family safe at home, to excuse the 'Taliban' for not insisting theirs be kept at a safe distance too. So they prefer to think of somebody hiding behind civilians, deliberately setting somebody up for a 'bad rap' or just not being manly enough to stand out in the open and let themselves get killed.

The alternative is the morale-sucking thought that they aren't the white knights they consider themselves to be and that snotting somebodies' wife and children because they were 'at home' when the bomb dropped-in is really waaay beyond what they learned in kindergarten, or thought war should be.

No wonder PTSD is a problem. A conscience will do that to 'good men'.