Afghan Police Officers – Zhari District (2011)

Go read this letter from the front lines in Afghanistan CLICK HERE.  It is a tough read.

Things have changed.   Recent events have changed.   Rules of engagement have changed.   Nothing is better.   So should they stay til 2014, or come home now?

These words hit home for me:

[…]  If we are not partnering with the ANSF and we are not actively patrolling to prevent our enemies from massing their attacks on our COP and we can’t drop a bomb on the enemy that we have positively identified, than what the hell are we doing here?

Give us a mission or send us home.

Do not buy into what the some media outlets have already said about this. Casually saying that this is a frequent occurrence is false, and is an attempt to downplay the major ramifications for these decisions. We have never been so restricted in defending ourselves as we have now. This is not just a stand down. The other implication of this decision is that we will perhaps never regain our relationship with the ANA after we have executed these measures to protect ourselves from them.  Essentially, we have left them to die as we watch from our high-tech cameras and UAVs. They will not forget this and I fear the relationship will never be the same.  (more)