Take the Time to Read Fick's Editorial--It's Worth It
TO DEFEAT THE TALIBAN
Fight Less, Win More
By Nathaniel Fick
Sunday, August 12, 2007; Page B01
On a highway north of Kabul last month, an American soldier aimed a machine gun at my car from the turret of his armored Humvee. In the split second for which our eyes locked, I had a revelation: To a man with a weapon, everything looks like a threat.
. . . one of my many gratifying moments at the academy came at the start of a class on targeting. I told the students to list the top three targets they would aim for if they were leading forces in Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold. When I asked a U.S. officer to share his list, he rattled off the names of three senior Taliban leaders to be captured or killed. Then I turned and asked an Afghan officer the same question. "First we must target the local councils to see how we can best help them," he replied. "Then we must target the local mullahs to find out their needs and let them know we respect their authority." Exactly. In counterinsurgency warfare, targeting is more about whom you bring in than whom you take out. To access the complete piece, click HERE. ______________________________________________________________________ No one has complete answers, but Nathaniel Fick certainly speaks with wisdom on the theme that 'when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.'
* For more in-depth articles from Jim on Iraq War, check out Opinion-Columns.com