U.S. Service Member Killed During Hostage Rescue Mission In Afghanistan: White House
Source: Reuters (via HuffPo)
WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. service member was killed in Sunday's rescue mission in Afghanistan that freed an American doctor kidnapped by the Taliban, the White House said.
"Our special operators in Afghanistan rescued an American citizen in a mission that was characteristic of the extraordinary courage, skill and patriotism that our troops show every day," the White House said in a statement.
"Tragically, we lost one of our special operators in this effort. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, just as we must always honor our troops and military families."
Dr. Dilip Joseph, the U.S. citizen rescued on Sunday, was abducted on Wednesday in the Sarobi district of Afghanistan's Kabul province, according to NATO-led forces.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/09/afghanistan-hostage-rescue-service-member-killed_n_2268390.html
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)It's way past time we stopped messing around over there and brought our troops home.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)I just hope that Issa and the GOPpers don't make this into another one-sided investigation.
John McCain,Lindsey Graham,Kelly and Susan, have been kind of quiet lately. I didn't see them with their usual performance on the Sunday Shows today. They must be under the weather?
ThirdCultureBias
(8 posts)EOM
Joey Liberal
(5,526 posts)Hate to see this happen. We should have finished the job 8 years ago and gotten out of there. But that would have been unacceptable to the defense contractors and their GOP allies.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)another country's internal civil war(s) is that most of the time the U.S. for various reasons has recently ended up backing the losers. (See Vietnam, Nicaragua, South Africa and so on).
In the case of the AfPak theater, we backed the Northern Alliance, a more scurvy bunch of mercenaries and thugs that region has seldom seen, against the Taliban which (despite what we may think of it) had the support or acceptance of the majority of Afghans. Sort of like we backed Chalabi and his scabrous Iraqi National Congress over Muqtada al Sadr and Sistani in Iraq.
Support our Oops!
avebury
(10,952 posts)Afghanistan the way we did because we will never win there. Just look at the mess the Soviets got themselves in. A strategic attack to take out Bin Laden is what was warranted.
It seems like we get into these ridiculous, never ending wars (Iraq Part II included) just to feed the insatiable greed of the Military Industrial Complex. We need to insist upon have a military for the 21st Century that is run a lot more intelligently. I would like to see a law passed that no one in Government or the Military can go to work as a Lobbyist or with a Military Industrialist company for at least 15 years after leaving service/office. War should not be a lucrative business but a necessity only as an absolute last resort when all other options have failed and with a specific game plan in mind.
A war against terror is a losing war as there is no fixed target like there was in WWI and WWII. Like the Hydra, you cut off one head and another arises. Traditional warfare will never win a war on terror. You adapt you assets to deal with your foes.
The military industrial complex is a far greater threat to this country then any terrorist or country.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)agreed to turn bin Laden over to an international judicial authority in October 2001, provided the U.S. showed what evidence it had against bin Laden. The U.S. refused to do so and opted, instead, to back the Northern Alliance thugs and scurvemeisters. The U.S. took a criminal matter - the mass murder of 3,000 people - and turned it into a military affair. The results were eminently predictable and I predicted them starting in, oh, about November of 2001.
Imagine if the shoe were on the other foot and the Taliban had accused George Bush of war crimes and crimes against humanity and demanded we turn him over. Wouldn't one expect our government to ask to see the evidence before extraditing Bush? But, no, the doctrine of American exceptionalism says that other countries must do as we say, not as we do, and that we need not follow the standards we lay down for other countries.
avebury
(10,952 posts)underthematrix
(5,811 posts)the life of the hostage. My heart though hurts for Navy Seal's family.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,320 posts)KareBear
(192 posts)Honestly, there should be no US civilians in Afghanistan. He knew the risks going there and the US lost the life of a hero to save him due to this poor decision. Even if his cause was just for going, he should have known better.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he's out, but someone seriously needs to review how he got approved to be there to begin with.
How long will it take us to realize they don't want our help, they don't want our values, they don't want our governing system. We need to GET OUT of there.
KatyMan
(4,191 posts)is a non-profit organization primarily focusing on rural areas of the country, opening clinics, schools, etc. While it is very sad that a US serviceman lost his life, to say that no civilians should be there is not very realistic. These people need help and all who are there deserve our support.