"I like the fight here better."
After four weeks of talking to soldiers and Marines stationed throughout Afghanistan, I discovered a secret: U.S. troops who have fought in Iraq before arriving in Afghanistan often say they like fighting here better.
Time and time again, they would tell me this – in the battlefield, at the chow hall, even in their offices. They always offered their views without me asking the question, usually in a hushed tone. “Can I just say I like the fight here better.” or “These guys fight. This place is better.” Their reasons usually fell along one of two paths: 1. The Afghan security forces are more apt to fight the rogue forces moving into their country, or 2, The Taliban play fairer than the Iraqi insurgency. Let me explain.
When violence spiraled out in Iraq, it was not uncommon for Iraqi forces to run away from the fight. Now to be fair, the fighting was brutal for the most sophisticated Army. And while Afghans have faced the Taliban before, the Iraqis had never faced an insurgency. But nonetheless, there was a time when the Iraqi forces ran, sometimes while turning to their American counterparts and saying, “ What are you doing to do about this?” But Afghan forces are eager to jump into the fight. They don’t always have battle plan, mind you, but they are ready to go. And this appeals to American troops.
On the other side, the Taliban attacks far differently than the Iraqi insurgency. While their use of IEDs and other asymmetric tactics is rising, they also employ more conventional tactics. They mount platoon and company-sized attacks. Where the Iraqi insrugency somtimes hid behind civilians, the Taliban clears an area of women and children, even though it costs them the element of surprise. That is, they take fewer cheap shots by military standards. Moreover, they recover their wounded. They fight in a way more familiar to American troops.
One Marine put it to me bluntly: “I respect the enemy here; I don’t respect him in Iraq.” We will see whether U.S. troops still feel this way six months for now, but from what I saw, there is a greater mutual understanding here.
I loved it in Afghanistan. I liked the people better than the arabs. I like the wild rugged countryside. I can pretty much do what I want. I get to kill bad guys and help ordinary people. I can drop my drawers and squeeze one out anywhere I like.
Posted by: Sleep | March 05, 2009 at 01:14 AM
In Afghanistan, the local populace know who the enemy is -the Taliban. Whereas in Iraq, the Sunni see the Kurds and Shia as the enemy, the Shia see the Sunni and Kurds as the enemy, and the Kurds see all Arabs as the enemy. So the difference is obvious to the most casual observer. It doesn't take much mental effort to realize Afghanistan is a war and Iraq is a Civil War in the making with three different factions fighting for control.
Posted by: Major Domo | January 24, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Nancy:
Based on your post and the post below, do you think that Afghani's are amendable to an Afgahni Awakening similiar to the one in Iraq?
Philip "Rick" Henika
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Lessons+from+Iraq/1173272/story.html
Lessons from Iraq
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Joshua D. Goodman
The Ottawa Citizen
January 13, 2009
"...The election of Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus's appointment as the head of U.S. Central Command have brought the U.S. a greater commitment to the Afghanistan war. Just as one of Gen. Petraeus's top priorities upon assuming command of Multi-National Force-Iraq was changing the coalition forces' failing strategy, he also wants to change the approach to Afghanistan.
Much of the United States' success in Iraq over the past two years can be attributed to the rise of the "Awakening" movement, a collection of Sunni tribesmen, Iraqi nationalists, ex-Baathists, and others who were united by the goal of driving al-Qaeda from their country. The U.S. has presented a plan to organize Afghans in a similar manner..."
Posted by: Philip Henika | January 18, 2009 at 01:31 PM
That reality should really call into question the Bush administration's Geneva Convention claims (that Afghanistan wasn't covered and Iraq was).
Posted by: William Ockham | January 12, 2009 at 04:46 PM