Sorry, Guys. This Is A DUMB Rule
If reports are true, an opportunity to hit a large group of Taliban was not taken. The reason? They were gathered in a cemetery for a funeral. The Rules of Engagement (ROE) forbid firing into a cemetery.
WASHINGTON - Taliban terror leaders who had gathered for a funeral - and were secretly being watched by an eye-in-the-sky American drone - dodged assassination because U.S. rules of engagement bar attacks in cemeteries, according to a shocking report.
U.S. intelligence officers in Afghanistan are still fuming about the recent lost opportunity for an easy kill of Taliban honchos packed in tight formation for the burial, NBC News reported.
The unmanned airplane, circling undetected high overhead, fed a continuous satellite feed of the juicy target to officers on the ground.
"We were so excited. I came rushing in with the picture," one U.S. Army officer told NBC.
But that excitement quickly turned to gut-wrenching frustration because the rules of engagement on the ground in Afghanistan blocked the U.S. from mounting a missile or bomb strike in a cemetery, according to the report.
Pentagon officials declined comment and referred The Post to Central Command officers in Afghanistan, who did not respond to a request for comment or explanation.
Ok, that's all respectful and all, but it is also massively stupid. There really is no good reason to not hit these people when you have the chance.
Dumb Stuff, War | Gaius Wednesday, 13 September , 2006
By Guy, Wednesday, 13 September , 2006 @ 3:15 pm
Agreed….. Fish in a barrel.
By G. Lestrade, Wednesday, 13 September , 2006 @ 5:58 pm
Do stupid people lose wars?