RSS Feed for This PostCurrent Article

Is Obama Putting Our Soldiers at Risk?

By Larry Johnson on July 3, 2009 at 9:34 PM in Current Affairs

A U.S. Army private was captured on 30 June in Afghanistan by suspected Taliban operatives. So what does this has to do with Obama? The story being put out in the media is different from what I’ve heard from knowledgeable sources. Here’s the media version:

I have heard that the soldier was captured while returning to quarters after standing post as a sentry. He was not out just wandering around with locals. He was grabbed from a remote, undermanned outpost. This one is on Obama. Why?

Our forces currently are shy 10,000 soldiers originally requested by General McKiernan, who was fired for having the audacity to challenge boy Barry for his refusal to approve the General’s request for more soldiers. As a result you have undermanned, thinly spread units deployed to remote areas without adequate Quick Reaction Force back up. What does that mean? If a large Taliban force manages to mass on one of these outposts the U.S. soldiers are a great risk of being overrun before help in the form of more troops, close air support or artillery can be called on to hold off attackers.

The troops are following their orders. But they are being asked to do nearly impossible missions with inadequate resources.

The Fox report had this disturbing tidbit:

Maulvi Sangin, who claims to speak for the Taliban in the province, said that the U.S. soldier was seized when he and the others were on their way to the Yousafkhel security checkpost, and took them to a secret location, according to an Afghan news Web site. Sangin claimed the abducted soldiers were drunk when captured by the Taliban.

U.S. officials could not confirm that these claims are true, and not Taliban propganda.

Based on prior experience, such as the ambush of the Navy SEAL patrol in June 2005 led by Marcus Luttrell (in which three men under his command were killed and a helicopter, with 18 would be rescuers was shot down), the Taliban are pretty accurate in their press releases on such events. If the soldier in question was intoxicated while returning from patrol that would raise a host of questions the military would, I imagine, prefer to keep quiet.

On the eve of Independence Day celebrations let us keep this soldier and his family in our thoughts and prayers. And let’s insist that Barack Obama stop second guessing on the ground troop commanders and give the soldiers what they need. If this soldier is killed by his captors then some of his blood is on the hands of Barack Obama. Obama declined to give the commander the forces he said he needed.