Petraeus reviews directive meant to limit Afghan civilian deaths

Source: Washington Post

To the U.S. soldiers getting pounded with thunderous mortar rounds in their combat outpost near Kandahar, it seemed like a legitimate request: allow them to launch retaliatory mortar shells or summon an airstrike against their attackers. The incoming fire was landing perilously close to a guard station, and the soldiers, using a high-powered camera, could clearly see the insurgents shooting.

The response from headquarters -- more than 20 miles away -- was terse. Permission denied. Battalion-level officers deemed the insurgents too close to a cluster of mud-brick houses, perhaps with civilians inside.

Although the insurgents stopped firing before anybody was wounded, the troops were left seething.

"This is not how you fight a war, at least not in Kandahar," said a soldier at the outpost who described the incident, which occurred last month, on the condition of anonymity. "We've been handcuffed by our chain of command."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/08/AR2010070806219_pf.html

Petraeus is no fool; I'm still hoping this "review" is just red meat for the armchair infantry.

I guess he should get the fuck out at the first possible opportunity. Or, maybe, he should't have joined in the first place.

and no-one was hurt...
hmmmm.
Could it be that battalion-level officers could plainly see that the 'pounding' was a mile short of harm's way?

And I know people hate 'conflation', but I must say this reminds me of Israel/Palestine...those mean old Palestinians hurl hundreds of missiles at Israel every day if you listen to some people....they just never hit anything...