Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Winning hearts and minds

Afghan officials say dozens dead in airstrikes
By RAHIM FAIEZ and JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writers
Tue May 5, 2009
KABUL – Bombing runs by U.S.-led coalition jets killed dozens of civilians taking shelter from a fierce ground battle between Taliban militants and Afghan and international forces, two Afghan officials said Tuesday.

Air-power is a blunt instrument. No matter how often the Pentagon brags about the "surgical" capability of air power, the fact remains: missiles and bombs, no matter how 'smart', only blow things up. When the opposing force can be counted in the dozens, there's a really good chance that the bombs & missiles will blow up civilian by-standers.

The U.S. "strategy" in Afghanistan - such as it is - seems to be based entirely on "killing bad guys". At least, that's what I glean from news reports.
Are we making any serious attempt to hold and control territory? - This seems to me to be a prerequisite for building local infrastructure, local institutions, local economy: the ability to keep the bad guys out - letting the locals know that they're safe to pursue trade, education, road-building without fear of attack.

How much does it cost to maintain high-tech warplanes in the Afghan theater? How many ground troops could be deployed at the same cost?

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