Special Forces in Kabul continue Vietnam legacy
BAGRAM AIR BASE: US-led Special Forces hunting Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are using techniques adapted from the ill-fated US conflict in Vietnam, the outgoing commander of Special Forces said on Thursday.
… special operations teams have established more than 15 ‘A-camps’ in remote locations to recruit and train Afghan forces, Colonel Walter Herd said.
The A-camps, a concept used in Vietnam War which ended three decades ago, are “scattered across the country,” mainly in the south and southeast where a Taliban-led insurgency is at its strongest, Herd said.
The camps “represent the only form of government in much of this war-torn land,” Herd said.
Since taking over command in September 2003, Herd has attempted to change the mission of the Special Forces from simply killing and capturing anti-coalition militia to refusing them a “safe haven”.
Special forces “have captured or killed more … than any unit in the global war on terror,” Herd told a ceremony to mark the end of his nine-month stint at Camp Vance, saying the figure was around 100 militants.
Do you get the feeling that America is fighting a losing war in Afghanistan? They’re using any barbaric tactics to try to save their face?
Is it time for America to start asking ‘how do we get out of here’?