Canadian Troops Surround Taliban

[Warvstar]

To all the troops out there, Stay safe and Merry Christmas.

 

[Pea]

Give'em hell!

Happy Holidays to all our troops fighting this holiday weekend. Stay safe guys/gals.

 

[CrazyCanuck]

I very much doubt that they would wait for the Taliban to starve to death. That would take months because you are forgetting that they are in farmlands right now and have food and water. Also .. it would be far far different from bombing the Taliban with human shields.

Why not just burn the feilds closest to the Taliban stronghold, compensate the farmers and assure them that the feilds would grow back the next year? it would also give our guys a clear line of fire, and give any fleeing Taliban nothing to hide in. It's an old tactic and probably not very useful here because of the hostage thing. Of course if it's green pot plants then they won't burn and burning the brown ones has 'adverse effects.' Though in a perfect world if you were to burn the feilds and the Taliban saw the tanks aiming at them out of RPG range they would be inclined to surrender.

 

[TN2IC]

I very much doubt that they would wait for the Taliban to starve to death. That would take months because you are forgetting that they are in farmlands right now and have food and water.

Napalm bomb it then?    ;D


Do we have proof of the "hostages" or call thier bluff?
Watch some how I am wrong. Hints why I am not CDS.  ;D

 

[Franko]

I think the "scorched earth" policy was droped a few decades ago.     

Regards

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Looks the RCR will have a another Christmas battle to toast to. Hopefully without to many losses. Hope they have the snipers deployed, picking off anyone with a weapon. Harass them into surrender or attacking.

 

[TN2IC]

I think the "scorched earth" policy was droped a few decades ago.     

Regards

What do you mean this ain't the Eastern Front?

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Anything worth harvesting has been done already.  If the Taliban are surrounded in a compound or grape hut and they haven't planned for the long haul with supplies as well as for the cold it is unlikely they will get any supplies now.

 

[anton]

I dont like this tactic. Closing in on an enemy on all sides will make the enemy fight to the death alot fiercer. It is always advisable to provide the enemy an opening or an escape route. I think I got this from Art of War or something...

 

[tomahawk6]

Sorry for the hostages but I like the suggestion to use snipers to encourage the Taliban to emerge or better yet some 105mm gunfire from the Leo's to demonstrate that resistance would be futile.

 

[TN2IC]

I am sure the panzers are there...

;D


As for the Art of War..


http://www.chinapage.com/sunzi-e.html

III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM


1. Sun Tzu said:  In the practical art of war, the best
    thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact;
    to shatter and destroy it is not so good.  So, too, it is
    better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it,
    to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire
    than to destroy them.

Art of War is a GREAT read! ;D

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

anton its pretty hard for an enemy surrounded armed with RPG's to mount any kind of breakout against the Leo's or LAV's.  Plus we have the ability to accurately and effectively engage the Taliban from a safe distance.

 

[brihard]

I dont like this tactic. Closing in on an enemy on all sides will make the enemy fight to the death alot fiercer. It is always advisable to provide the enemy an opening or an escape route. I think I got this from Art of War or something...

Sun Tzu didn't have M777s.

 

[TN2IC]

Sun Tzu didn't have M777s.

Yeah he wasn't that advance back then. 

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

Anton,

Its hard to gain a real picture when you are reading news reports from half a world away.  While Art of War is an easy and illuminating read (compared to some other theorists), be careful reading Sun Tzu and trying to apply it to the real world without context.

Cheers

R5

p.s. Stay safe troops!

 

[CrazyCanuck]

Wouldn't destroying this pocket of surrounded Taliban entirely send the message that "We live, you die, best if you surrender" it could be good propaganda for later

 

[old man neri]

I dont like this tactic. Closing in on an enemy on all sides will make the enemy fight to the death alot fiercer. It is always advisable to provide the enemy an opening or an escape route. I think I got this from Art of War or something...

I don't think this applies to suicidal maniacs.

The other concern of course is that they will drop their arms and try to disguise themselves as innocent villagers.

 

[mainerjohnthomas]

I have to post the link here, I was reading about the Taliban types the RCR's are closing the sack on while I listened to my daughters sing Christmas Carols.  The resulting corruption of Santa Clause is Coming to Town goes out the RCR's and attatchments who are getting it done in the sandbox.
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/55061.0.html

 

[a_majoor]

In another war, the Rwandan People's Front would surround a pocket of enemy on three sides, but the "open" side was closed by fire. or better yet, an ambush.....

 

[Kat Stevens]

Give them an out... straight into a killing field.