Terrorist or Freedom Fighter.

Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion. However I do think you're word choice is rather deliberate in order to undermine the actions of the armed forces personnel. From what I've watched and read, the majority of Afghan people are against the Taleban. Those who are for tend to actually be Taleban. There will always be doubts in the minds of the locals, obviously, as to who they give their support to. Usually they have anger towards both sides as they just want to get on with their life in peace. But in order for that to happen there has to be a stable amount of security within the country and that is the exact aim we are working towards. There will inevitably be mistakes made and flaws with any final outcome, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. If we do manage to help create some stability in the country, that would be a victory.

The government and armed forces have a zero tolerance policy in regards to heroin/drugs. If there were motives to ship and sell drugs then it would have been reported on somewhere. Even with a government media blackout, a story that big would definitely make it onto the news.

 

I can see where you're coming from. Due to the situation we find ourselves in, there will always be more people from the Taleban point of view who would happily fight us. But a victory in my opinion would be creating stability in the country. Might sound naive but it's an achievable aim.

 

its the governments fault not the people who are in the army.they are the ones who pick and choose what to do so the blame lies at the top.just personally i would never think about joining it...unless it was a scottish army,if scotland was a free countryand not part of the UK

 

It's difficult to put that into context, because we're not at war with England in the present day and we have the option as a nation of voting democratically for independence. But, in regards to what he did, then yes he probably would have been classed as a terrorist.

Edit: My friend Marc told me stories about William Wallace committing rape when he fought in England. Not sure of the details or facts but wanted to add it in to avoid any Braveheart inspired romanticism about our historic figure.

 

SNP state that Scotland would be 'neutral' as an independent nation. Probably wouldn't be an army to join. Not a real army anyway. Anyway, we won't be independent any time soon and for that I'm thankful.

 

Another problem is paramilitaries who come out with total pish about being the legitimate representatives of the will of the people even when in reality they do not have anything like the majority of their own people supporting them. This was even true of PIRA. Their political reprsntative Sinn Fhein did not become the biggest nationalist party in northern Ireland until AFTER they had given up violence. I believe that most people simply do not believe in murder as a means of gaining political objectives simply on moral and humane grounds because they are not cold enough to objectivise people as expendable. I wonder about people who can do these acts and sort of wash their hands of responsibility.

 

That kind of romanticism goes back centuries. People have always loved the idea of the noble knight in his suit of armour charging in on horse back to slay the evil oppressor and save the defenceless and innocents. What people don't like is the reality that medieval warfare was like Saving Private Ryan, only with less medical help, more disease and far more raping and pillaging. And the defenceless innocents would then be taxed, given a pitchfork and constricipted to drain arrows away from the professional soldiers.

European codes of Chivalry were more wishful thinking than anything substantial. There's a reason it was called the Dark Ages, after all. I don't think it makes much sense to try and apply modern standards to Dark Age history.

 

And definitely less awesome opening scenes.

 

I read today that one unit disarms between 5-10 IEDs per day. That's in a small area of Afghanistan, maybe 1 or 2 square kilometres. I read in the same article that it takes about 10 years to complete the training necessary to become an expert in detection and removal of these IEDs.
When patrols are out and about, they face constant attacks from 'insurgents' who have adopted a 'run 'n' gun' tactic - ie no pitched battles, just the constant threat of attack.

All this despite nearly a decade in the country. We've gotten nowhere in practical terms, and will continue to get nowhere. It's as bad as Vietnam and it's only matter of time before everyone realises it, IMO.

 

Freedom Fighters

 

Granted a few of them may get off with out getting the punishment they deserve which I dont agree with, but on the other hand it is always hard to find the truth. A lot of times these stories are made up and the truths twisted by reporters looking for a quick payday. I know personally of two incidents where Soldiers in my unit were accused, first by an AP photographer and then a repoter for a malaysian news program, of killing civilians. Both times I knew that those soldiers where no where near the the location that was cited and that niether of them would ever do anything like that. Our Lt. interviewed the AP guy and eventually he admitted that he was just "fishing for a story" and had just seen the bodies being prepped for burial in some village.

 

bigwill i am going to apologise for any offence i have caused you.i know you guys are just doing a job for your country and i respect that.if it was scotland i would do the same.i blame the governments not the soldiers who do it for there country...and a job

 

BBC News - Foreign medical workers among 10 killed in Afghanistan

BBC News - Blog reveals Afghanistan medic Karen Woo's dedication

 

tbh mate i canny be arsed with this thread anymore.i will watch them tomorrow/or read them.i understand there are arsheholes in the army but there are decent guys.i watched a vid of army guys playing football with afghan weans and seen the decent side of them.just like the germans playing a game of football in the somme(or maybe somewhere else)but you cant tarnish everyone with the same brush

 

Thank you, and too be honest I can see where you are coming from, I disagree with alot of what my government does and have said before that I disagreed with the war in Iraq to the point where I got into a shouting match with a Brig. Gen visiting our camp who said we should try to increase our body count (i.e. number of enemies killed) I felt that he was ignoring the real problems like lack of food and water and jobs and education.