20 Sep 21
@wildgrass saidWell I agree but when you have a cadre of right wingnut drivelling idiots a serious bipartisan debate on the west’s over reliance on drones is not going to happen unless the grown ups just ignore their inane posts and talk over their heads.
I find it refreshing that centcom is admitting mistakes. It is important to critically evaluate the costs of the strikes vs. the strategic benefit. I think the trump administration stopped reporting drone civilian casualties but with >2000 strikes per year it must have been a lot. And the prior administration never admitted to mistakes. They wanted everyone to think they w ...[text shortened]... uld be about whether the drone program is worthy of the cost, not another blame biden drivel thread.
I think the central problem with the strategy is that it’s too risk free for the politicians ( including Biden ) that order them, ‘no body bags no foul’. When you have a spotty 20 something playing C.O.D in a pentagon bunker there is always going to be civilian casualties, unfortunately there is no respawn option for the children that died in Afghan.
20 Sep 21
@shallow-blue saidI am Mack's sock puppet.
So, tell us - whose sock puppet are you, now?
So...I am burping.
And Yertle the Turtle, magnificent he is king of the mud, 'cause that's all he can see!
20 Sep 21
@sonhouse saidSonhouse, surely with your insight you have deduced that I, for one, LOVED Trump’s taking out a Taliban leader? Now, some of your buddies did indeed defend the position that he should not have done that, but then, them fellers did attack our country, killing 3000, so that put decorum out the window, don’t you think?
@AverageJoe1
We all know what happened and it was tragic. The question now is about recompense.
How do we compensate for the death of entire families of children.
And OF COURSE you figure Biden's intel dudes were innocent then? And it is ALL biden's fault?
How many times has a four star general said we made a mistake and sincerely apologized?
EVER?
You forget the killing of a top Taliban aid BY DRONE ordered by Trump?
Hello? Oh, i’m Sorry. I asked you a question, didn’t mean to throw you off of rant-track, as you do not answer a question. Like, the evangelical preacher in the tent, his flock does not ask him a question!!
20 Sep 21
@AverageJoe1
I see you didn't answer my question, Did you EVER see a 4 star general APOLOGIZE for that kind of mistaken drone strike?
20 Sep 21
@kevcvs57 saidYou mean there's no political risk in NOT carrying out >2,000 drone strikes per year?
Well I agree but when you have a cadre of right wingnut drivelling idiots a serious bipartisan debate on the west’s over reliance on drones is not going to happen unless the grown ups just ignore their inane posts and talk over their heads.
I think the central problem with the strategy is that it’s too risk free for the politicians ( including Biden ) that order them, ‘no b ...[text shortened]... civilian casualties, unfortunately there is no respawn option for the children that died in Afghan.
20 Sep 21
@averagejoe1 saidA) Trump's drone strike killed an Iranian General, not a "Taliban leader";
Sonhouse, surely with your insight you have deduced that I, for one, LOVED Trump’s taking out a Taliban leader? Now, some of your buddies did indeed defend the position that he should not have done that, but then, them fellers did attack our country, killing 3000, so that put decorum out the window, don’t you think?
Hello? Oh, i’m Sorry. I asked you a question, di ...[text shortened]... swer a question. Like, the evangelical preacher in the tent, his flock does not ask him a question!!
B) Iran had nothing to do with 9-11 (neither did the Taliban BTW).
@earl-of-trumps saidWhat else did they tell Military Intel? Did they verify that the target was a suicide bomber?
And now we find out that the CIA was aware of children being in the strike zone and they told military INTEL
EDIT: According to the NY Post the warning about children in the area came only seconds before the strike was delivered: https://nypost.com/2021/09/18/cia-warned-of-kids-near-kabul-drone-target-report/
EDIT2: The Secretary of Defense has authorized a full investigation:
"“Part of that review will be to examine the investigation itself, the thoroughness of the investigation; to study the degree to which any policies, procedures or targeting mechanisms may need to be altered going forward, if any; and of course, to then take a look at what levels of accountability might be appropriate, and if so, at what level,” Kirby said.
Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, announced Friday that the initial investigation into the strike found that the U.S. erroneously targeted a civilian in its attempt to neutralize an imminent ISIS-K threat against troops manning the gates at the Kabul airport."
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/afghanistan/2021/09/20/air-force-general-to-review-errant-kabul-drone-strike-make-recommendations-for-discipline/
20 Sep 21
@no1marauder said"CNN, which cited three anonymous sources"
What else did they tell Military Intel? Did they verify that the target was a suicide bomber?
EDIT: According to the NY Post the warning about children in the area came only seconds before the strike was delivered: https://nypost.com/2021/09/18/cia-warned-of-kids-near-kabul-drone-target-report/
EDIT2: The Secretary of Defense has authorized a full investigation:
...[text shortened]... 021/09/20/air-force-general-to-review-errant-kabul-drone-strike-make-recommendations-for-discipline/
20 Sep 21
@mott-the-hoople saidYes, I know, usually members of the CIA are anxious to be identified as the sources of information in a news article.
"CNN, which cited three anonymous sources"
21 Sep 21
@joc44 saidHe's got a ways to go to beat the record, is Trump over 700,000 dead yet?
Not only is Biden responsible for the deaths of 10 innocent civilians...
He is responsible for the deaths of 13 US military volunteers. A blundering fool of hypocrisy. Why we need term limits...to rid our government of such dunder flucks.
21 Sep 21
@metal-brain saidDrone strikes? How passé.
How many civilians were killed with drone strikes by Trump?
I'll bet he killed some too, just not sure how many. You should look into it.
Trump used a virus, now that is cutting edge.
@no1marauder saidIt is all mideast vermin to me. If I had said ""see the guy in yellow turbin in the vehicle, he was killed by Trump, Trump was elated!!!!!".....you would have written, "AvJoe, it wasn't yellow, it was green!" You are not a far cry from ole Handy Andy.
A) Trump's drone strike killed an Iranian General, not a "Taliban leader";
B) Iran had nothing to do with 9-11 (neither did the Taliban BTW).
I could probably find a knowledgeable actor who would say that Iran and many other infestations in those hell holes were 'involved'.