Cowboy Jihad

The FATA

2012-01-21T17:17:00.001-06:00

The Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan and the War on Terror

Divided between Afghanistan and Pakistan, 'Pashtunistan' has become a hub for resurgent Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and their allies Plagued by political turmoil, Pakistan remains incapable of countering the growing threat
I Introduction:
    What affect does the Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan (FATA) have on the stabilization, of Afghanistan? With the Taliban able to recruit, re-organize, and train unmolested in, the tribal areas, a constant cycle of insurgency can go on in Afghanistan. It is estimated that the Taliban could take 10,000 plus casualties a year for 20 years with little impact on their ability to fight. The Pakistan military is engaging in all out combat against the so called Pakistani Taliban. The Islamist militant group Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi (TNSM) located in the Swat valley where just the beginning between 2004 – 2007, the TNSM killed over 1,000 Pakistani security service forces before being driven from the area. Pakistan has a good Taliban (which launch attacks inside of Afghanistan) and bad Taliban (which launch attacks inside of Pakistan) the Pakistan military will not move against good Taliban groups. In 2009 in response to the Taliban moving to within 60 miles of Islamabad the Pakistan military against launched offensives against the Taliban in which the Pakistani military claimed victory however, the Taliban are re-infiltrating these areas and launching attacks against Pakistani security services.
    Al-Qaeda has also succeeded in reestablishing itself by exploiting the weaknesses of the Pakistan military in the tribal area and their already close relationship with the Taliban. It has been estimated that Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have established over 150 training camps in the FATA In the words of one western military commander "Until we transform the tribal belt the U.S. is at risk." This should be expanded to other countries are at risk such as India, Spain, and Great Britain which has suffered at the hands of terrorists that shelter in the FATA. Affiliated groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba are allowed safe sanctuary to plan and launch attacks on regional and international targets.
II Literature Review:
    The literature reviewed included policy statements, newspaper articles, and journal articles for public and military publication, as well as books written about past and current wars in Afghanistan. These articles have all come to the same conclusion, the Afghan insurgency and the war on terror cannot be won until something is done about the FATA. The authors have different methodology in dealing with the tribal belt ranging from the use of more direct U.S. and NATO military force, to enforcing more diplomatic pressure on Pakistan and increasing economic assistance for the tribal areas. Current President Barack Obama, then a leading Democrat candidate in the US presidential race, provoked anger on August 1^st, 2007 saying "that as president he would be prepared to order U.S. troops into that country unilaterally if it failed to act on its own against Islamic extremists ." Some authors blame the Bush administration directly, while others see this area as a problem dating back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Rubin suggests that while Pakistan's tribal area substantially aided in the rebirth of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, it is failed U.S. policy that is the main contributor to the Taliban's resurgence. While clear in his bias against U.S. policy, Rubin suggests that the illegal use of Guantanamo Bay and Bagram airfield as illegal detention facilities helps fuel the continued Taliban insurgency . Despite Rubin's dislike of current U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan he discusses several very good points. Shortly after the Taliban's ouster from Afghanistan, the Pakistan Inter-Service Intelligence Agency (ISI) set the Taliban up with a new headquarters in Quetta, Pakistan. This city is important because Quetta is only 150 miles from Kandahar, Afghanistan which is the Afghan home of the Taliban. Al-Qaeda also used this new sanctuary to reestablish its global reach. Prior to the Iraq surge which appears to have all but defeated Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the sanctuary was used in the sharing of information from AQI to the Taliban in tactics and techniques. It is also believed that several key members of AQI have fled Iraq and gone to the safety of the FATA.
Steven Coll in Ghost Wars suggests that the ISI, which started the Taliban and some believe still support it, believe that it is in Pakistan's best interest that a proxy Jihad be fought in Kashmir and Afghanistan with fighters trained in the FATA. Pakistan does not want the traditional close ties of Afghanistan and India to be reestablished as this will weaken Pakistan's position in the region. Coll also speaks on the shortsightedness of U.S. policy in Afghanistan as a reason for the rise of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. During the Soviet invasion, the U.S. policy was to turn Afghanistan into the Soviet Union's Vietnam. After the war was over, the only concern the U.S. had was getting its stinger missiles back. When Osama bin Laden, who had reached legendary status during the Afghan war began preaching against the evils of the Great Satan and how Islam had a duty to fight the Dar el Harb, he had an avid audience and a lot of money to throw around which helped his cause a great deal.
Grant, 2007 argues that the United States, while winning the tactical battles is losing the strategic ones. In this scholarly social science article, the author uses empirical data such as troop level, the number of Taliban killed, and the number of attacks to show the resurgence of the Taliban. The bias is from the U.S. and NATO militaries using the wrong tactics to fight this war. The Taliban have 3 million Afghan refugees living in the FATA of Pakistan to recruit from. These refuges are pushed towards the madrassas and from there into the training camps of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The FATA acts as a sanctuary for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda just as Laos and Cambodia did for the Viet Cong and NVA during the Vietnam War. This is a lesson learned the hard way by the Soviets in the 1980's and the U.S. and NATO, that no insurgency has ever been defeated that had safe base of operations to deploy from.
Also understood is the Pakistani's inability or unwillingness to control the tribal areas. This lack of control has created a virtual warzone inside the tribal areas between rival tribal factions, the Taliban against the Pakistani security services. This is a battle the Taliban appear to be winning.
Roggio, who writes extensively on Afghanistan and Pakistan argues that Pakistan's refusal or unwillingness to deal with the situation in the FATA is worrisome in that it does hinder U.S. and NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan but could also bring about the downfall of Pakistan itself. His many articles are written in a journalistic manner with data collected from attack records, anecdotal evidence, intuition, extensive interviews of commanders in theatre, and intelligence specialists.
Roggio's articles are very pointed in declaring how the fight in the FATA will reflect not only the fight in Afghanistan and Pakistan but also the threat of greater global terrorism. One of his articles quotes Lt. General Eikenberry as saying, "a steady, direct attack against the command and control in sanctuary areas of Pakistan is needed or attacks from the tribal areas into Afghanistan will continue." Senator Carl Levin is also quoted as saying, "Long term prospects for eliminating the Taliban threat appear dim so long as the sanctuary remains in Pakistan, and there are no encouraging signs that Pakistan is eliminating it." Roggio also tracks and analyzes the effectiveness of Predator attacks inside of FATA.
The FATA of Pakistan is the key to stability, not only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also to the global reach of Al-Qaeda. The most important battle against the war on terror may not be fought in Iraq or Afghanistan, but in an area U.S. and NATO forces cannot invade, which is Pakistan one of our allies in the war on terror.
Rotberg argues that by 2006 the Taliban had won the initiative from the U.S. and NATO forces. After the initial invasion in 2001, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban slipped away to Pakistan and Iran. Now in the south and southeast of Afghanistan, groups such as the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Hizb-e Islami are using tactics similar to those carried out by AQI so there was information sharing between these groups. These militant groups are headquartered in the FATA and this is where they are conducting their training and equipping. Also mentioned is the fact that "outside" factors namely Pakistan is working to destabilize Afghanistan. The work contains a great deal of how to stabilize Afghanistan through economic measures and using a softer touch in military operations, but does not mention what should be done about the FATA.
Griffin argues that the Taliban is a product of Pakistan and that Pakistan has done and will do nothing to interfere with the Taliban as long as they serve their interests. Also, that the US and NATO forces did not put enough troops on the ground to prevent the Taliban and Al-Qaeda from escaping after they were ejected from Afghanistan. Griffin also goes on to say, how the battle of Shah-I Kot valley was not a high point for the battle against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. This battle did allow the U.S. to press and receive permission to cross into Pakistan in hot pursuit which has led to several captures. The author is very critical of western efforts relating to how the war has been conducted. He also points out the obvious that whenever the Taliban or Al-Qaeda need to retreat or re-organize it is done in the FATA.
Riedel, concludes that the U.S. invasion of Iraq gave Al-Qaeda a chance to rest, regroup and come back stronger than before 9/11. Riedel is very critical of not finishing off Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden when we had the chance after the invasion of Afghanistan. Riedel also concludes that forcing Al-Qaeda into Pakistan has helped its global reach with a large Pakistani population living in England and the easy travel back and forth between the two countries, recruitment and training can be facilitated. Also a Pakistani who is a British citizen can travel to Europe and the United States with much less suspicions that someone traveling on a Pakistani passport. Riedel offers suggestions such as a stronger military and economic commitment in Afghanistan as well as encouraging dialogue to settle Pakistan and India's differences, which is the main reason for the ISI support of the Jihad in Kashmir. Riedel while very critical of past U.S. policy in Afghanistan offers very good positional solutions that would include a framework for regional conferences on stability in the entire Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India region. These include the aforementioned talks, but also including U.S. Muslim allies and other such as Egypt, Morocco, and Iran contribute to the stabilization of Afghanistan. Riedel also points out Al-Qaeda's losses such as the Saudi Arabian crack down in 2006 which killed or captured 260 terrorists and Egypt's so far successful fight against Al-Qaeda after the hotel and tourist site bombings in 2004 and 205. Riedel provides a very good study on the failures and opportunities against Al-Qaeda. However Riedel has no plan about a solution in the FATA, except encouraging Pakistan and India to make peace.
III Theoretical Framework:
     Throughout the literature that I have reviewed, there are differing opinions on how the war is and was being fought in Afghanistan. It ranges from the U.S. forgetting about Afghanistan due to the war in Iraq, to an insurgency that will be almost impossible to defeat because of the sanctuary offered by the FATA. It is not only the insurgency in Afghanistan that the FATA fuels but Islamic group's world wide receive their inspiration from al-Qaeda still alive and well inside there.
    What is unknown is how to treat the FATA as it is part of a sovereign country that is an ally in the war on terror. The Pakistan government complains mildly about the current Predator strikes. What is unknown is what would Pakistan's reaction be to the U.S. and NATO directly attacking the tribal areas under Taliban control? Pakistan has a large Army of approximately one million active and reserve troops mostly concentrated and equipped to fight the Indian army. Any invader would also have to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda who have pledged to fight to maintain Pakistani sovereignty. Yet another gap is would the cost benefit be worth a full on invasion of the FATA or would containment of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the FATA be enough? Any land assault will be costly in terms of lives and money and not be a sure victory due to the difficulty in getting supplies into the area. Since the invasion of Afghanistan the U.S. and our allies have been attempting to contain the Taliban and other groups in the FATA with no real success. The terrain does not allow for complete coverage of the Afghan Pakistan border and there are just not enough troops on the ground to guard every pass and doing so would leave small outposts easily over run. This is also the issue for the Pakistanis who believe they have to maintain as large a force as possible on the border with India therefore leaving limited troops to operate inside the FATA.
    The gaps about the FATA need to filled, because while there is agreement among writers, that the FATA is a problem, there few authors that offer possible solutions. I propose to try to the fill gaps, because the FATA is the nexus of the Islamic terrorist movement. With a secure base of operations, Al-Qaeda is able to support ongoing Islamic terrorist movement's world wide. Not only is Al-Qaeda able to inspire these groups with their propaganda machine they are also able to provide financing, trained fighters and moral support. The Taliban will also be able to use the FATA to rest, recruit, re-fit and carry on its wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir. While opening another front against Pakistan proper as it moves to take over the entire country.

IV Analytical Model:

V Hypotheses:
The FATA acts as a sanctuary and headquarters both for the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the growing Pakistani Taliban movement.
The FATA is the current nexus for the exportation of militant Islam.


VI Research Design
    The purpose of this study is to explain the role the FATA is having on the insurgencies in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and worldwide terrorism. This study will use predictive and forecasting models. This study will use multi-method case studies on the state of the Afghan and Pakistan insurgencies, and what the continued presence of Al-Qaeda leadership is having on world wide Islamic terrorism.
Dependent and Independent Variables
The Dependent Variable: The Federally Administrated Tribal Area continues to feed the insurgency in not only Afghanistan but in also destabilizing Pakistan as well. Also, the FATA serves as the base or in Arabic (Al-Qaeda) for the growth and support of worldwide militant Islam. This is a nominal measurement.
Independent Variable 1: The Sovereignty of Pakistan prevents effective military actions against the terrorist groups located in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas. This is an ordinal measurement because of some the U.S. military action does take place in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas. These attacks come in the form of Predator/Reaper drone attacks against potential high value targets (HVT) and hot pursuit crossings of the Pakistan border during engagements with the Taliban or other militant forces.
Independent Variable 2: That Pakistani Taliban is increasing their attacks in Pakistan to gain more autonomy, power, and to destabilize Pakistan so that it cannot act in a meaningful manner in the FATA. There is also the chance the Pakistani Taliban have the goal of creating a new Talibanized Pakistan and take over the entire country.
Independent Variable 3: That attacks inside of Afghanistan are controlled by groups with safe havens within Pakistan. Taliban commanders like Siraj Haqqani send suicide bombers into Afghanistan from the FATA. This is operationalized through ratio measures and will allow me to distinguish among persons by adding or subtracting by rank.
Independent Variable 4: The Taliban currently possess all of the necessary ingredients to escalate their campaign and to continue an insurgency inside Afghanistan for the foreseeable future. They have a geographic sanctuary, recruits willing to die for their cause and a steady source of funds from the growing and profitable opium trade-terrain, people and money. This will be a ratio measurement.
Independent Variable 5: The Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence agency actually feeds and encourages the Jihad from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to attempt to strengthen Pakistan's influence in southwest Asia. Intelligence collected during Western military offensives in mid-2006 confirmed that Pakistan's ISI was continuing to actively support the Taliban leadership. This is operationalized as an ordinal measure.
This study will attempt to explain the effects of the FATA on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and international Islamic terrorism. This information will be collected from previous and current studies of attacks, action plans, and data on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the FATA. I will use peer reviewed articles, studies, and books by people considered experts in the area as well as news articles by Pakistani and other news papers.
    This study will include studies that have varying opinions on U.S., western and Pakistani operations and combine them into an explanatory study. Content analysis combining quantitative and qualitative methods will determine the data analysis.
Limitations and Biases in Study: Is the actual lack of reporting from the Federally Administered Tribal Area due to the danger of reporting there. Most studies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas have to be done with accumulated data from outside of the area and are subject to second hand knowledge. Recent studies in the FATA have had to be done in a covert manner as access to the FATA since the start of the Global War on Terror has been limited. The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan remarked that embassy officers "have little or no access to the field their teams have not been able to move freely in the FATA for at least a year." I have a personal bias towards this topic as I feel the Federally Administered Tribal Areas are the nexus for regional instability and for global Islamic terrorism. The studies I have read for this project also have strong feelings on the topic either for or against U.S. policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan. These biases range from increasing more military power in the area or applying more pressure on Pakistan. For every study written on the subject the author has their own bias on the issue.
Ethical Issues Raised by Study: The ethical issues deal with the international rule of law regarding the sanctity of Pakistan's national borders. This has to be weighed against the need to combat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda that are resurgent in the tribal area. Also at stake would be the actions that would need to be taken if the Taliban obtained Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Plan to Reduce Bias in the Study: I will use studies from different authors with differing biases to counteract each other. I will attempt to limit my own bias even in my conclusion and use the data presented in the study.
Particular Challenges Study Presents: The situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan is a very complex and challenging issue not only for the world but for study as there are very many opinions on how to fight in Afghanistan. There are very few studies on how to tackle the tangled situation of tribal loyalty and independence mixed with religious extremism that is infused in the FATA. There is also the subject of Pakistan's public opinion as the people of Pakistan do not want attacks by the Pakistan military against the Taliban. Then the Pakistani people are subjected to attacks from the Taliban in an attempt to break their will even further and may force the Pakistan government to agree to a truce with the Taliban with the FATA making them immune from the Pakistani army. This has changed somewhat after the assassination of Banazir Bhutto in 2007 and a constant campaign of suicide bombings by the bad Taliban inside of Pakistan.
Case Study
The FATA has been a source of sanctuary for fighters resisting occupiers of Afghanistan since the Soviet invasion in 1979. The FATA now serves as the headquarters for not just insurgents fighting against the U.S., Afghan and NATO forces in Afghanistan but also al-Qaeda. Now the Pakistani Taliban are pushing their power base from the FATA into the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) with a series of Shai'ra -for-Peace deals. The continued sanctuary that the FATA provides the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and their allies will be a destabilizing factor in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and perhaps the world with the presence of al-Qaeda and the influence that organization still has over world wide global Islamic terrorism.
Hypothesis 1The FATA acts as a sanctuary for both the Taliban insurgency and the growing Pakistani Taliban movement as well.
    In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up the failing communist government that was falling to an Islamic led revolution. This revolution was begun by and Afghan army Captain named Ismail Khan who called for jihad against the communist usurpers. Former Soviet Premier Kosygin told the Afghan leader Taraki in a moment of alarming piece of fortune telling "you are of course, oversimplifying the issue" of Afghanistan's rising Islamic rebellion, when he said this would present "a complex political and international issue. After the Soviet invasion, the Afghan's, particularly the Pashtuns, fled towards the Pastun homelands located on the Pakistan, Afghan border in and around the FATA of Pakistan.
    The Hindu Kush which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan where the FATA is located is a natural fortress with mountainous peaks and valleys which are honeycombed with caves. From this area the CIA, Saudi Arabian intelligence (GID), and the ISI funded, armed, and trained the Afghan resistance, known collectively as the mujahedeen. After the Afghan victory over the Soviet Union, Afghanistan fell into political and social chaos. This was partially caused because of the end of the cold war. The United States no longer cared about the fortunes of Afghan people, because they were no longer needed to fight the Soviet Union. To fill this void the Pakistani ISI organized and backed a group called the Taliban. The Taliban whose ranks were filled with students from madrassas or religious schools from the FATA backed by Arab Afghan war veterans swooped into Afghanistan. This army took over all but the northern most part of Afghanistan. As the Taliban's grip over Afghanistan tightened, the Taliban instituted harsh Islamic law and increasingly allied with Osama bin Laden, who was an Afghan war hero and who had recently been kicked out of the Sudan for sponsoring terrorism. From Afghanistan and the FATA, Osama bin Laden declared war against the west and created al-Qaeda (the base) to battle the infidels and fight against the dar al harb (house of war). The dar al harb is what Osama bi Laden and his followers consider any non-Islamic country. Al-Qaeda began launching attacks against the United States culminating with the September 11, 2001 attack against the World Trade center in New York and the Pentagon. The United States response was swift as by October the U.S. and its allies were attacking the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and in a lighting campaign quickly ejected the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The Taliban, being predominantly Pashtu and the al-Qaeda allies fell back to their base of support in the FATA.
    The Taliban is so important to Pakistan that President Musharraf considered going to war with the United States rather than abandon their allies following 9/11. Pakistan has proven to be a reluctant ally in the global war on terror. The question remains how effective allies can the Pakistani's actually be when their first national reaction was to go to war against the United States? The ISI, after the ejection of the Taliban from Afghanistan, established the Taliban a new headquarters in the Pakistan city of Quetta. In Quetta, the Taliban leadership has rebuilt its command, control, and communication. From there, they can communicate with their fighters and continue to make attacks into Afghanistan. The FATA provides a springboard for attacks in Afghanistan and just as importantly provides a place to retreat, re-arm, and recruit. An important element to the Taliban is being able to quickly refill their ranks after attacks in Afghanistan. The recruiting pool in the FATA is huge as there are 3 million Afghan refugees in the FATA living in extreme poverty.
    Sanctuaries are vital to the success of an insurgency, and as the Viet Cong had in Laos and Cambodia, the Taliban have in the lawless tribal regions of western Pakistan (Grant 2007). This sanctuary has allowed the Taliban to step up their attacks. In 2006 the Taliban launched a record number of attacks and some 4,000 people, mostly militants, died in insurgency related violence. Suicide attacks in 2006 totaled 136 up from 27 in 2005, according to U.S. Military numbers. NATO has said suicide attacks killed 206 Afghan civilians, 54 Afghan security personnel, and 18 soldiers from NATO's International Security Assistance Force . By June of 2008, attacks were up 40% in eastern Afghanistan that borders the FATA compared to the same time period in 2007. The Taliban and al-Qaeda are also known to be operating 157 training camps in the FATA. From these camps the Taliban and al-Qaeda train insurgents for fight in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Pakistan, and possibly overseas in terror attacks. Containing the Taliban and eleminating these camps in the FATA is the part of the War on Terror the Pakistani army is supposed to be fighting. While the Pakistani army has launched some attacks into the FATA the army seems to prefer negotiation to fighting. This has allowed the Taliban to consolidate their power in the FATA and beyond.
    In February 2009 in response to a proposed United States surge into Afghanistan, Mullar Omar the nominal head of the Taliban urged three rival Taliban leaders to agree to form a unified alliance against the United States. The three leaders Baitullah Meshed leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), a coalition of militant groups in the FATA, Hafiz Gul and Maulwi Nazir have agreed to combine forceses to battle the United States in Afghanistan and abroad. The three leaders created the Shura Ittihad al-Mujahideen, a 13 member advisory body tasked with coordinating insurgent operations.
    On March 27, 2009 The United States outlined its new strategy for Afghanistan which included amoung other things, bolstering the Pakistani army, so it could better combat the Taliban and al-Qaeda networks inside the FATA. This had been something that the Pakistani army has been reluctant to do in the past. Less than a month later Abdullah Sa'id the commander of the Lashkar al-Zil or the shadow army which is a combined al-Qaeda and Taliban force released the insurgents new Afghan strategy. This force combined with the other Taliban groups plan on attacking NATO supply lines in Pakistan, out wait the United States and NATO allies, commit terrorist attacks in the west, continue the propaganda campaign taking advantage of civilian deaths caused by air strikes, and to use the porus Afghan, Pakistan border to flood Afghanistan with foreign fighters. This type of announcement made so soon after the United States announcment shows a level of media sophistication and military planning that comes from a confident enemy. Eight years of war with the United States, NATO, Afghan, and Pakistan militaries plus a protected area to train and plan has given the Taliba and al-Qaeda time to strengthen its forces and review lessons learned. Today's enemy represents the third generation of the Taliban. Today's Taliban are an extremely proficient, well- organized, well-equipped insurgent force. They combine cynical, experienced, hard bitten leaders, with extremely well motivated disciplined fighters and a new capacity for terrorist attacks.
    The FATA in 2001 allowed the Taliban and al-Qaeda to survive. Today the FATA serves as the launch point for attacks not only in Afghanistan but increasingly into Pakistan. The Taliban have been able to negotiate peace deals with the Pakistani military which use the truces to buy time to re-group and re-arm and then begin launching new attacks. The latest known as the Shari'a for Peace Deals which give the Taliban full authority to enforce Shai'a law in the Malakand Division, an administrative region that encompasses more than one third of the NWFP and includes the districts of Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Bunes, Dir, Chitran, and Kohistan. This peace deal now gives the Taliban effective control of a large area outside of the FATA. This peace deal was signed after the Taliban defeated the Pakistani military twice first in October of 2008 and again in January of 2009. With the United States plan to bolster the Pakistani army, will the army be able or willing to go back into these areas and re-establish government control over this area that was just signed over to the Taliban.
    The Taliban is the creation of Pakistan's army and ISI to first control Afghanistan which provided Pakistan with strategic depth against India and to also fight the jihad in Kashmir. This forces the Indian military to committ forces to fight and insurgency in Kashmir. There seems to be no consent to the extent to which Pakistan's aid to the Taliban is ordered by or tolerated at the highest levels of the Pakistan's military. There is a concensus, in the words of a senior Western military leader, that Pakistan's leaders "could disrupt senior levels of Taliban command and control" but have chosen not to. The FATA and the haven it provides to al-Qaeda and a host of Taliban groups is a destablizing factor not just for Afghanistan but now greater Pakistan itself. What the Pakistani's, United States and NATO do is a matter of conjecture. There is no doubt that without a resolution to the FATA issue the Aghan insurgency will continue and that Pakistan may lose more territory until the entire country, nuclear weapons and all, will fall to the Taliban. This would destabilize the entire region and could possibly draw several countries into a regional war.
Hypothesis 2 with the expulsion of Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan the world wide headquarters of Islamic terrorists has moved and is thriving in the FATA.
    The al-Qaeda attacks on September 11, 2001, have to date, been the single most deadly terrorist strike in history. After 9/11, the international community gave the United States license to remove the Taliban as retribution for the massacres in New York and Washington. Under international law, retaliation in self defense is permissible. Washington's leadership got an opportunity to strike back with full force against jihadist terror under the full extent of international law.
    Al-Qaeda's foreign fighters unable to just drop their weapons and blend in with the population were forced to fight their way out of Afghanistan. In the Tora Bora area on the Afghan-Pakistan border the chance to destroy the nucleus of al-Qaeda was missed. Under massive airstrikes bin Laden was heard over the radio addressing his men in Arabic "forgive me" he said. He went on to apologize for getting them trapped in the White Mountains and pounded by American airstrikes. Then he gathered them together in prayer. Next the sound of mules and a large group of people moving about was heard bin Laden and Al-Qaeda had survived.
    The end of 2001 found al-Qaeda weakened but safe in the FATA. Osama bin Laden's legend had grown again because he had struck the United States then escaped their wrath. Al-Qaeda's new found home in the FATA gave them a place to rebuild, reorganize, recruit, and begin planning. In 2002, it was clear the United States was going to invade Iraq. Al-Qaeda moved quickly to develop a capability in Iraq. Thousands of Arab volunteers, many of them inspired by bin Laden's words, went to Iraq in the run up to the U.S. invasion. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who had fled Afghanistan went to Iraq sometime in 2002 to begin preparations against the invasion. This is important because al-Qaeda felt strong enough to engage the United States again and if victorious would give al-Qaeda another safe area in which to operate out of. In 2004 Zarqawi proclaimed his allegiance to bin Laden, and bin Laden anointed him the prince of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Qaeda was now engaging the United States directly on two fronts Iraq and Afghanistan.

From the safe haven of the FATA al-Qaeda was able to still launch attacks directly against the west. On July 7, 2005, a group of British citizens of Pakistani origin attacked London, England. These men had traveled to Pakistan in 2003 with the aim of fighting in Afghanistan instead al-Qaeda trained them and persuaded these men to operate in the United Kingdom. Al-Qaeda had now re-established its ability to strike internationally and that it had not been destroyed.
    The relocation of Al-Qaeda to Pakistan provides al-Qaeda with new opportunities for the group to expand in the West, especially the United Kingdom. By one estimate Pakistan received 400,000 visits from British residents in 2004. This can aid in training, recruitment, and communication for al-Qaeda.
After its near destruction in 2001, al-Qaeda had proved that it again had global reach and was fighting on two fronts Pakistan and Iraq. al-Qaeda began venturing into new ground recruiting via propaganda and looking for allies. al-Qaeda propaganda via, DVD and CD is available across the Middle East and Asia. The internet also began to play a pivotal roll in expanding al-Qaeda and its ideals. The internet provides jihadists with a virtual hub and while the importance of the al-Qaeda's leader's statements remain debatable, the internet is clearly connecting like minded individuals and propagating jihadims in Western countries. An investigative judge said the perpetrators of the March 11, 2004 attacks in Madrid were inspired by a document published by the Global Islamic council. al-Qaeda is able to get their message to a worldwide audience through media outlets such as al-Jazeera, Reuters, and Associated Press International and their regional affiliates in Pakistan. While this may not appear to be a direct military threat al-Qaeda has been able to comment on the recent war between Hamas and Israel, and mock the west for the economic downturn that has effected a great deal of the global economy. While al-Qaeda has become more media savy, they have also gained more allies such as the Jemaah Islamiah in Indonesia, which carried out the 2005 bombings of Bali night clubs and al-Shabaab in Somalia. The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) also an al-Qaeda ally has launched attacks inside of India, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Al-Shabaab is currently fighting to take over the country of Somalia and has also sworn their allegience to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. This gives al-Qaeda a foothold in Africa which is considered a shatter belt between Islam and other religions.
However computer and propaganda savy al-Qaeda gets it still needs territory. In the Bajaur province of the FATA, Faqir Mohammad is the Taliban leader of this area the Pakistani military will not take action against him because he is part of the good Taliban. Al-Qaeda takes refuges in the provience and Bajaur has become a command and control center for launching operations into the eastern Afghanistan province of Kunar, this province is adjacent to Bajaur and is one of the most violent in Afghanistan. This again shows Pakistan's lack of will to confront the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Apart from a few years in Saudi Arabia and the Sudan in the 1990s, al Qaeda leadership has been on the Afghan-Pakistan border for a generation. During the same period, the Taliban originating in Afghan refugee camps in or near the FATA and growing through a network of tribal connection, as well as support from ISI under sucessive Pakistani regimes has established a strong al-Qaeda presence in the same area (Kilcullen 2009). It can be said there is now no difference between the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Because there is no pressure being exerted on Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in the FATA, they are able to thrive and grow. Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry a former U.S. commander in Afghanistan called "for a steady, direct, attack against the command and control in the sancuary areas inside of Pakistan" Senator Carl Levin stated, " long term prospects for eliminating the Taliban threat appear dim so long as the sanctuary remains in Pakistan and there are no encouraging signs that Pakistan is eliminating it ." As the FATA goes so do the fortunes of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Pakistan has shown no willingness to confront the Taliban and al-Qaeda and due to the soveriegnty of Pakistan effective intervention by Western forces is not permitted.
It is not just the Taliban and al-Qaeda but other terrorist groups that thrive in the FATA the LeT which primarilly fights against the Indian occupation of Kashmir has shown itself to be a particularlly vicious group. Pakistan's Inter-Services-Intelligence agency (ISI) is a known supporter of the LeT during its creation and even after the banning of the group by Pakistan. The jihad waged and supported by the ISI serves a strategic purpose in tying down Indian military and security assets that could be facing Pakistan across the line of control that separates the two countries. After the 2008 Mumbai, India attack Pakistan arrested LeT's leader Hafiz Saeed but he was released in June of 2009. This shows further that Pakistan has no intention of trying to stop LeT or JUD activities. Funding for the group comes from a variety of sources donations from Pakistani, and Muslim Kashmiries, the Persian Gulf, and it is reported from the ISI as well.
Conclusion
    This study has shown that both the Taliban and al-Qaeda have since 2001 used the FATA to rebuild themselves. The Taliban are now able to lauch attacks into Afghanistan and increasingly Pakistan as well and retreat back to the FATA with relative impunity. Al-Qaeda has been able to launch attacks abroad and act in conjunction with Taliban forces. There is now no distinction between the Taliban and al-Qaeda the groups have become blurred.
    The United States and their allies have responded to the threat of the FATA by launching Predator drone attacks against selected high value targets in the FATA with some success and are now following this up in 2009 with a surge into Afghanitan simular to the one 2006-2007 in Iraq. While this may defeat the Taliban-al-Qaeda forces in the field in Afghanistan it will do nothing to roll back the forces in the FATA. Nor will the U.S. surge doing anything about the other terrorist groups that are in the FATA. The Pakistani's have launched attacks into the FATA but have not been able to take control of the area. Pakistan has now moved to negotiating with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. These peace accords have only resulted in more territory loss and more attacks in Afghanistan and increasingly inside of Pakistan. The United States has stated it will as part of its new Afghan strategy move to support, equip, and train the Pakistani army to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda. This is the same army that has been reluctant to fight decisevly against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the past and there are no indications that this trend will change.
    With the FATA and now part of the NWFP in control of the Taliban, any victories won in Afghanistan are negated. As these defeated forces will just fall back and re-equip, reinforce, re-arm, and attack again. This will test the resolve of the United States and its allies. This is part of the stated strategy of the Taliban and al-Qaeda to see who is willing to be the most patient and see this war through to the end.
    The Pakistani government has shown a reluctance to engage the Taliban head on. A realistic assessment of Pakistan's role requires not moving Pakistan from the "with us" to "against us" column in the War on Terror but recognizing that Pakistan's policy derives from the perceptions and capabilities of its leaders, not from those of the U.S. Government. However with an increasingly unstable Pakistan and its nuclear weapons there is going to have to be a new United States policy towards Pakistan. Pumping additional assistance into Pakistan without a fundamental rethinking of political strategy is therefore likely to be highly counter productive in the long run.
    The United States will need to strategically rethink its entire strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A cost benefit analysis about the war in Afghanistan needs to be done. Is this war winnable and if so how much will it cost? Is it worth the risk of direct United States military and economic intervention in the FATA and a potential war with Pakistan? Another option is a containment strategy in Afghanistan for the time being. What beyond the Predator/Reaper drone sniping can the U.S. accomplish in the FATA and is this strategy helpful or harmful in the effort to reduce terrorism. Then getting Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan to the negotiating table and work to resolve the issue of the Durand Line which divides the Pastun homeland and causes friction between Afghanistan and Pakistan. India and Pakistan must resolve the Kasmir issue. If Pakistan can get assurances of its security it may be more willing to act as a more active partner in the War on Terror.
    In May of 2010, the Taliban after repeated threats sponsored an attempted bombing at Times Square in New York City. The Taliban have gone international and with the melding of the Taliban and al-Qaeda and the potentially large recruiting pool this could pose a threat to the West it is only a matter of time before the attacks become deadly. This and other attempted attacks show what al-Qaeda's media arm safe in Pakistan can accomplish among the Muslim Disporia.

Appendix 1

Predator / Reaper Drone 1

Terrorist Groups Operating in Pakistan

U.S. State Department Foreign Terrorist Organizations that Operate in Pakistan
Al-Qaeda
Harakat – ul-Mujuhideen
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
Jaish-e-Mohammed
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Of the 44 State Department designated terrorist group Pakistan is home to 13 percent of the total. Of the 28 listed Islamic terrorist groups, Pakistan is host to 21 percent of these.

Appendix IV

South West Asia and Russia due to the fighting in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Chechnya have seen and continue to see the greatest number of terrorist attacks. Most of these groups have ties to terrorist groups in the FATA.

Bibliography

Ahmed, Tufail. "Re-emerging Alliance between Pakistani Military and Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan." The Middle East Media Research Institute. April 1, 2009. http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA50809 (accessed Aprl 14, 2009).
Babbin, Jed. "Taliban Continues Taking Refuge in Pakistan." Human Events, 2007: 5.
Baily, Timothy J. "Why Not Afghanistan?" Marine Corps Gazette, August 2007: 14-17.
Balz, Dan. "Obama Say He Will Take Fight to Pakistan" The Washington Post. August 2, 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR2007080101233.html (accessed April 5, 2009).
Berntsen, Gary, and Ralph Pezzullo. Jawbreaker:The Attack on bin Laden and al-Qaeda. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2005.
Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10,2001 . New York: Penguin Press, 2004.
Grant, Greg. "Tribal War." Goverment Executive, 2007: 41-44,46,48-50.
Griffin, Michael. Reaping the Whirlwind: Afghanistan, Al-Qa'ida, and the holy war. London: Pluto Press, 2003.
Indian Express.com. Decemeber 4, 2008. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-taliban-pledge-to-join-forces-in-fight-against-india/393825/ (accessed March 30, 2009).
"Jane's Terrorism & Security Monitor." Janes Defense. January 16, 2008. http://jtsm.janes.com (accessed April 14, 2009).
"Jane's Terrorism and Security Monitor." Jane's Defense Weekly. March 9, 2009. http://search.janes.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/Search/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jtsm/history/jtsm2009/jtsm5235.htm@current&pageSelected=allJanes&keyword=taliban%20in%20afghanistan&backPath=http://search.janes.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/Search&Pro (accessed April 14, 2009).
Joscelyn, Thomas, and Bill Roggio. "Analysis: US outlines new Afghanistan strategy." The Long War Journal . March 27, 2009. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/03/analysis_us_outlines.php (accessed April 14, 2009).
Kilcullen, David. The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
(National Counter Terrorism Center 2010)
"Pashtun Rising." Jane's Terrorism & Security Monitor. January 16, 2008. http://search.janes.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/Search/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jtsm/history/jtsm2008/jtsm5103.htm@current&pageSelected=allJanes&keyword=pashtun rising&backPath=http://search.janes.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/Search&Prod_Name=JTSM& (accessed March 28, 2009).
Phare, Walid. Future Jihad: Terroris Strategies Against the West. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Rahimulla, Yusufzai. "Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst ." The emergence of the Pakistani Taliban. December 11, 2007. http://search.janes.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/Search/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiaa/history/jiaa2008/jiaa5098.htm@current&pageSelected=allJanes&keyword=FATA&backPath=http://search.janes.com.ezproxy.apus.edu/Search&Prod_Name=JIAA& (accessed March 29, 2009).
Riedel. "Al Qaeda Strikes Back." Foreign Affairs, 2007.
Roggio, Bill. "Al Qaeda's Shadow Army commander outlines Afghan strategy." The Long War Journal. April 13, 2009. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/04/al_qaedas_shadow_arm.php (accessed April 14, 2009).
—. "Cross-border strike targets one of the Taliban's 157 training camps in Pakistan's northwest." The Long War Journal. August 13, 2008. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/08/crossborder_strike_t.php (accessed March 29, 2009).
—. "Pakistan signs sharia bill into law." The Long War Journal. April 13, 2009. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/04/pakistan_signs_shari.php (accessed April 14, 2009).
—. "Al Qaeda's Pakistan Sanctuary." The Weekly Standard, April 2, 2007: 16-17.
—. "US Missile Strike in Kurram Agency levels Taliban Training Camps." The Long War Journal. March 12, 2009. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/03/us_missile_strike_in.php (accessed April 14, 2009).
Rotberg, Robert L. Building a new Afghanistan. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institute Press, 2007.
Rubin, Barnett R. "Saving Afghanistan." Foreign Affairs, 2007: 57-78.
SATP Staff. Laskar-e-Toiba: Army of the Pure. May 2010. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar_e_toiba.htm (accessed May 19, 2010).

—. South Asian Terrorism Portal. June 2010. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/Waziristan/datasheet/suicideattack.htm (accessed June 16, 2010).
Spiegel, Peter, and Julian E Barnes. "Afghanistan Attacks up 40% in east, Pentagon say." The Los Angeles Times . June 25, 2008. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/25/world/fg-usafghan25?s=g&n=n&m=Broad&rd=www.google.com&tnid=1&sessid=be88f55b70480dd8a785d59335871d07ab857e77&uuid=be88f55b70480dd8a785d59335871d07ab857e77&pgtp=article&eagi=&cat=business&pe_id=4283223&page_type=arti (accessed April 14, 2009).

—. South Asian Terrorism Portal. June 2010. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/Waziristan/datasheet/suicideattack.htm (accessed June 16, 2010).

Dead?

2012-01-17T20:34:00.000-06:00

Hakeemullah Mehsud is believed to be dead that would be good riddance to a really bad guy. He needs to join his Betulah in hell.

Thanks to the Long War Journal and several other new sources.

My Rifle

2012-01-15T21:34:00.001-06:00

So far have held up one month into New Years resolution and got 50 rounds down range today 25 with the AR and 25 with the handgun.

This is my old school AR and today I shot a group a 7 shot group about the size of a quarter at 50 yards with 55grain Russian FMJ steel cased ammo. I will take that every day and no it is not any harder to clean than any other ammo.

I do have a gizmo on my rifle a laser sight my dad gave me. I have it mounted on the same short length of rail I as I do my forward grip. It is for close encounters and besides is the only tactical cool thing I have on it. Since the mount is a 1" Weaver style ring I can put most flashlights in it as well so that is handy. Total cost for that little set up nothing as we had the ring sitting around not being used.

As pleased as I am with my rifle as soon as I can big changes they are a coming.

New Name for my Joint

2012-01-15T00:04:00.002-06:00

Yes I will still be posting terrorism and world conflict news but I will also be including as you can tell a whole boat of load of gun stuff.

I am still writing on terrorism but mainly to keep my reseach skills sharp I am glad I can still log into AMU

Remington 742

2012-01-14T23:49:00.000-06:00

I am now the proud owner of a slagged Remington 742 when I get the chance I am going to get the armorers course and the correct tool and learn the ins and outs of this beast. It is a pretty popular hunting rifle in my neck of the woods and I might find it adventagous to know these things backward and forward. No better way than having a rifle I can practice on.

.410 Handguns /

2012-01-14T23:45:00.002-06:00

I am thinking about getting a .410 for the house and these pistols intrigue me Taurus of course came out with the first real popular .410/45 revolver with the Judge. Smith and Wesson has come out with the Governor and it comes with handy full moon and half moon clips so you can reload .45ACP ammo in a hurry.

I have posted before that I am thinking about getting a .410 shotgun for the house and my new shooters. However some of the new ammo with the defense disks combined with buckshot require rifling which most .410 bores that I am looking at do not have. As I was contemplating a Saiga because of the detachable magazines.

Has Tactical Cool Overridden Tactical Sense?

2012-01-02T15:25:00.002-06:00

There is nothing much cooler at the range than a short barreled rifle especially a M4 with all the latest new gizmos hanging off of it but has the cool factor actually become more important that the effectiveness of the current U.S. service weapon. The U.S. military has always prided itself as being a force of riflemen and has fielded some of the best weapons in history the M1903 Springfield, the M1917 Enfield (made in greater numbers than the M190A3), the M1 Garand and arguably the M16 (which is technically a carbine with its 20” barrel). However the last few years has seen the U.S. military turning into a carbine armed force. Even the Marine Corps which until recently resisted the M4 urge is deploying more of these weapons to troops headed to Afghanistan.

It is a fact that not all military forces have a need for a full sized rifle. “It was recognized that the officer, medic, military policeman, and the tank crewman needed a weapon that could be carried constantly and safely for emergency self defense (Lewis, 2004).” This was weapon was to replace the handgun then in issue (it never did). This weapon was plagued by complaints of poor stopping power and poor reliability. Fast forward a few years and now the military requires a “weapon to be issued to units and personnel with a requirement for an effective but compact highly portable/sling able hands free weapon (Lewis, 2004).” This weapon was to initially replace all M3A1 .45 caliber submachine guns issued to tankers, and selected pistols and rifles. This weapon is plagued by complaints of poor stopping power and poor reliability. The first weapon was the M1 carbine of WWII fame and the second the current M4. What makes this debate even more thought provoking is that both of these essentially personal defense weapons (PDW) made it to large scale front line usage. With more than six million M1 carbines made it became the most produced weapon of WWII. The M4 became the U.S. Army’s standard individual weapon in 2005 with most Special Operations units began use much earlier and as stated previously the Marine Corps acquiring significant numbers of them currently.

The popularity of the M1 carbine was due to its light weight and short length verses the heavy, long but very effective M1 Garand. The M1 carbine is only 5.2 lbs and 35.6” longs compared to the 9.5 lbs and 43.6” long Garand. This is a huge difference for rear echelon troops whose job does not require the use of a rifle on a daily bases. It is an even bigger difference to combat troops who are most of the time encumbered with a ton of extra gear even back in WWII. The M1 carbine was plagued by mechanical issues especially in cold weather, the fully automatic M2 was also prone to jamming. The other issue was a lack of stopping power as the 110 grain full metal jacket bullet was only effective out to approximately 100 meters. This is good enough as a personal defense weapon for supply troops, officers, and close in urban combat front line troops found this weapon and round wanting.

Anecdotal evidence about the M1 carbine complained of a lack of stopping power and reliability. Marine Lt. Joseph in a 1950 interview with S.L. A. Marshall after the defense of Hagaru –ri, Korea is quoted as saying “About 30 percent of our carbines gave us trouble, but the main reason my men lost faith in the carbine was because they could put a bullet right in a man’s chest at 25 yards and would not stop (Lewis, 2004). The M1 carbine has been used effectively by hunters and police departments who are able to use expanding ammunition that the military is unable to use do to the Hague conventions. This history lesson takes brings us to the U.S. military’s current carbine the M4/M4A1.

The M4 and the 5.56x45 round struggles against targets especially in Afghanistan where engagement ranges often exceed 300 meters. “The infantry’s ability to fix or kill the enemy with organic weapons systems beyond 200 meters is limited by his equipment and training. The incapacitation mechanism of small caliber bullets such as the 5.56x45 comes primarily from bullet fragmentation. Bullet fragmentation occurs only at sufficiently high velocity. All 5.56 weapons are most effective when employed within 200 meters (Ehrhart, 2009).” The M4 with its shortened barrel may have a much shorter effective range. This lack of organic weapon effectiveness means fewer weapons in a fight if only Designated Marksmen (DM), medium 7.62x51mm machine guns, and 60mm mortars have the range to engage an enemy in the middle distance.

While there is no doubt that the 5.56 rounds and the M16 family of weapons will be with the military for the foreseeable future (for cost reasons if nothing else) is the M4 the most effective weapon to fire this round from. The 5.56 round due to its small size relies on velocity to do its damage. The yaw and break of up of the bullet only happens when the bullet strikes the target above a certain velocity which is in the 2700-2750 fps range. The 20” M16 with the 62 grain M855 ball round maintains this velocity to approximately 100 yards where it is moving at 2765 fps. The 14.5” barreled M4 maintains the required velocity too approximately 50 yards. So what does the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine gain for the loss of performance between the M16 and M4? The M4 loaded weighs about a pound 7.36lbs than the M16 8.5lbs the big difference comes in length of the weapons were an M4 with the stock fully collapsed is only 29.75” long verses the M16 at 39”. This makes the M4 handier when getting into and out of vehicles and in urban combat but is it really worth the effectiveness loss? Where the M4 doe excel is in urban and close quarters battle situations it size is similar to submachine gun. The SEALs that took down Osama bin Laden where using M4s and the weapon performed flawlessly while clearing the compound. However even in urban combat shots of over 50 yards may need to be taken this will again show the weakness of the 5.56 rounds out of a short barrel.

While the M4 is super cool and has a place in urban or close quarters battle environment it may actually make units weaker. A historical example is again the M1/2 carbine. S.L.A. Marshall had this to say about small caliber fully automatic carbines. “The carbine, made fully automatic has provided no additional power to the infantry line in virtue of the change but to the contrary in hard terms of tactical practicality has served but to weaken the infantry firebase (Lewis, 2004).” The current lack of an effective medium range infantry weapon has necessitated the addition of the Designated Marksman (DM) and his weapon system either a rebuilt M14 or the M110 both 7.62x51 mm weapons. This was actually foreseen back in 1963 in a Guns and Ammo article about the military’s adaption of the M16. “Possibly, evolving combat doctrine will in the future make room for one or two sharpshooting snipers per squad, armed with long ranging rifles, perhaps even the M14 (Beecher, 2011). This is a prophecy that has come true. With the addition of the DM to a squad it actually might reduce the effectiveness of a squad in an urban area as it takes a weapon out of the stack that is helping clear an area.

After WWII it was discovered that most military engagements took place a ranges of 300 meters or less. Afghanistan is the exception to this engagement ranges are commonly 300 meters and approach 500 meters (Ehrhart, 2009). The enemy knowing our troops engagement ranges will shoot at US forces with a medium 7.62x54 caliber machine guns that out ranges anything but a squad DM, a M240 gunner, or a vehicle mounted weapon leaving most troops out of the fight. Enemy forces can then maneuver closer while US troops are pinned by the longer range fire. The US military is excellent at long range engagements with precision weapons, artillery, and air. The current carbine oriented military is also very effective in the short range 0-200 meters it is the 300-500 meter range band where most weapons systems organic to an infantry squad are ineffective.

The military has not however sat on its collective hands and done nothing to counter this problem it has issued two new 5.56 rounds that to increase the effectiveness of the M16/M4 family of weapons there is the M262 Model 1 round that is basically a 77 grain Sierra Match King bullets with a lower yaw velocity that increases the effective range of the M16 to 200-225 yards and the M4 to 125-150 yards. The new M855A1 round that started equipping US troops in 2010 according to the Army this round will be able to alleviate most of the complaints against the old M855 ammo and resolve the Carbine issue.

“Also notable is the EPR's excellent performance against softer intermediate barriers such as car doors, windshields, or Kevlar fabric. The thinner metal found on car doors poses no problem. When engaging targets behind windshields with the EPR, ARL has shown an increase in the probability of hitting the occupant, due to both the steel penetrator and the copper slug remaining intact through the glass. Furthermore, ARL tested the round against 24 layers of Kevlar fabric out to 1,000 meters, but discontinued the test as the Kevlar showed no sign of being able to stop the EPR. The EPR also penetrates some lesser-quality body armors designed to stop 7.62mm ball rounds.
Another benefit Soldiers will see from the new round is its effectiveness when engaging soft targets at longer ranges.
As a small-caliber projectile's velocity decreases, it eventually will reach a point at which it can no longer transfer most of its energy to its target. Below this velocity, which equates to range, the round is more likely to pass through its target with little effect. The M855A1 can maintain consistent, desired effects at a much lower velocity, resulting in excellent effectiveness at far greater ranges along its trajectory.
In addition to the above-mentioned performance improvements, the EPR is more accurate than the M855. Accuracy testing during production lot acceptance has shown that, on average, 95 percent of the rounds will hit within an 8 x 8-inch target at 600 meters. It also uses a flash-reduced propellant optimized for the M4's shorter barrel (Woods, 2010).

Since it is yet to be seen if the new ammunition can perform as advertised there has to be a middle ground where the average line infantryman can get a compact weapon with a barrel length adequate enough to propel the 5.56x45 round at high velocity. Early in the War on Terror the SPR (Special Purpose Rifle) was put into use it had a collapsible stock and an 18” free floated barrel this is similar to the Marine Corps IAR (Individual Automatic Rifle that is replacing the SAW). Both of these rifles are very accurate, Marines assigned the IAR are not allowed to use them during rifle qualifications because the rifle offers advantages over the standard M16A4. Also with the collapsible stock a somewhat shorter barrel will allow for more handiness getting into and out of vehicles and in close quarters battle. This will give the infantryman a weapon that can engage from 0-500 meters. The military can then use the M4 for what it was intended Special Operations who do to the nature of their work need a smaller weapon and as a personal defense weapon for everyone else.

Bibliography

Beecher, W. (2011). Fantastic New Weapons That May Replace it. Book of the AR-15 , pp. 120-126.

Ehrhart, M. T. (2009). Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afghanistan: Taking Back the Infantry Half Kilometer. Fort Leavenworth, KS: School of Advanced Military Studies.

Lewis, J. (2004). The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons: The What and Why of Carbines. Iola, WI: Krause Publications.

Woods, J. K. (2010, November 26). Evolution of the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round. Retrieved January 2, 2012, from www.army.mil: http://www.army.mil/article/48657/evolution-of-the-m855a1-enhanced-performance-round/

Russian's using US caliber sniper rifles.

2012-01-02T15:24:00.002-06:00

I find it interesting that the Russians are using a foriegn made and designed sniper rifle for their Spetnaz units in US calibers.

Very cool

2012-01-02T08:02:00.002-06:00

I am not one for New Years resolutions but I do have some goals for this year. Here they are in no particular order:
1. Work on five more seconds of patience.
2. Finish getting my two gunsmith's training certificates
3. Shoot 50-100 rounds a month
4. Be prepared for the November election (this is not an ominous thing nor do I think the world is ending but this election could prove important to me personally).
5. Write more as schooling allows I really slipped the second half of last year of course being in the hospital for 11 days and not having a computer will slow down anyone.

Well there you have it five goals nothing fancy or earth shattering.

Oh and this one. By the end of the year I will have built my SPR.
Flat top receiver, 1:8 twist 20" barrel, free floated barrel, and only enough rails hang a minimum of accessories on. This I might have to do a piece at a time but that is alright as well.

Its Dead Jim

2011-12-30T20:54:00.000-06:00

Sadly and with much regret I had to pronounce a Remington 742 30-06 dead tonight. The receiver had a small crack along the on of the rails the bolt travels on. This was causing the bolt to cycle at an angle which was jamming the weapon about every other shot according to the owner of the rifle. The rails the bolt rides on feel like the edge of a serrated knife and there is some very unusual wear on the inside of the receiver and some actually divots for lack of a better word. This all causes further issues with the rifle cycling. I know the 742s have a reputation for jamming and Remington makes the weapon almost impossible for the owner to actually clean the weapon as all you can do is remove the trigger group and clean it and around the action as much as possible and you can run a cleaning rod down the barrel (how quaint). The owners manual actually says to take the weapon to a Remington certified gunsmith or send to Remington for an annual cleaning. That is bogus. The good thing is the owner has a very nice Leopold scope that he can now mount on a good rifle instead of the one he currently has.

This is a 742 not the one in question.

This is my first DOA arrival for a weapon and I was the owners second opinion as another gunsmith had previously told him it is dead. I hope this give the owner the peace of mind to go purchase a new rifle.

History

2011-12-23T23:17:00.001-06:00

History is the most dangerous product ever concocted by the chemistry of the intellect. It causes dream, inbriates nations, saddles them with false memories...keeps their old sores running, torments them when they are not at rest, and induces in them megalomania and the mania of persecution. Paul Valery Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it", and "[O]nly the dead have seen the end of war." George Santayana

This is interesting

2011-12-16T11:28:00.001-06:00

I just saw in a 1963 article of future military weapon namely the demise of the M14 and the early approval of the AR-15/M6 about a need in the future of one to two sharpshooters per squad perhaps armed with the M14. Fast forward to today and what do we find? In the Marine Corps and the Army now have one to two designated marksmen per squad armed with either an M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System (SASS) or an updated M-14 both in 7.62x51. All the services tried a special purpose rifle (SPR) in 5.56 and while it was a great shooter and accurate it offered no ballistic advantage over an M-16 or M4. At that point M14s started coming out and the SR-25/M110 was quickly tested and adapted.

Wow I really have no words

2011-12-14T19:03:00.001-06:00

Not cool from the CNC what a dumbass I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COME HOME [alive]- BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT SOLDIERS. http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=dfLFx-ZXn1Y

Gun thoughts

2011-12-10T12:15:00.001-06:00

Having two internal discussions going on currently. I am going to do two upgrade on my AR. First conversion to the A3 format with flat top receiver and magpul Moe forearm. This is a gunsmithing excercise as I am going to do the work myself and not just buy it. This will force me to get the equipment to do it. I am going to buy a new upper more than likely in 7.62x39. The reason is it is overall cheaper in cost for the upper, ammo, and magazines even with the need to buy and different bolt to handle military surplus. I am going to get the 20" barrel to try tonwring the most velocity of the round. I am also going to put a collapsable stock on it. The next is the need for a defensive shotgun for the house. I am looking at a .410 bore Saiga. I like the idea of detachable magazines and light recoil. Also there are some very good defensive rounds coming out because of the popularity of the Judge hand guns. Also will be getting my FFL next year as I am working on my gunsmithing certificate. Thoughts or opinions?

Jarhead Gunsmithing

2011-11-27T19:53:00.001-06:00

I am going to be taking this website in a different direction in the near future. While I wil still post stuff concerning the Long War I am going to focus on firearms. Yes I know there about a million firearms related websites There are many like it but this one is mine. If you know where that line comes from you have a huge jump on most people. I have been focusing on learning gunsmithing and while starting small I have really enjoyed it. With my life long love of things that go bang learning how build and fix them is a natural step. Am I the worlds greatest shot NO but I can hold my own in the woods and on the range. Nor am I the foremost authority I will leave that claim to other people. I have recently finished a report on the value of the carbine to the US military and am going to shop it around for publication.

The Haqqani problem

2011-09-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

Two news stories three years apart about the ISI connection to the Haqqani network. As I have stated and others who get paid to do this have the Haqqanis are the most dangerous force fighting against NATO and Afghan forces. This group has enjoyed the sponsor ship and protection of the Pakistan government since the Soviet invasion. Here is a Bloomberg story from 2008. Today the story it was released that the US has hard evidence that the Haqqani network as an extension of the Pakistani military launched the FAILED attacks again the US embassy last week. It is also a known fact that the ISI was behind the 2008 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul. Pakistan has declared war on the United States and is continuing its long running struggle with India. As I have said Pakistan is the enabler always has been and will be until dealt with. So far the US has done nothing but whine about Pakistan killing our troops. We have the same issue with Iran killing our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is no wonder the world thinks we are week they can attack us with impunity and the US will sit back and complain loudly with out taking a stand.

2011-09-17T11:33:00.001-05:00

Well the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan is finally saying what we have known for awhile the Haqqani network enjoys the support of the Pakistani government. For those that do not know the Haqqanis are suspected of launching last weekends suicide attacks in Kabul. ISLAMABAD — The U.S. ambassador to Islamabad said in remarks broadcast Saturday that there is evidence linking the Haqqani insurgent network to the Pakistani government, a charge that could raise tensions in an already strained anti-terror alliance between Washington and Islamabad.

working

2011-09-17T11:31:00.002-05:00

I hope to be up and posting again soon...computer issues have kept me from posting. Computer issue solved we are back in business.

Happy Birthday

2011-07-04T17:51:00.001-05:00

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

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The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

Marine's and their Weapons

2011-06-28T17:16:00.004-05:00

The Marine Corps is looking to upgrade 200,000+M16A4s and 80,000 M4s. What is interesting about this is it will bring these up to a standard that many civilian users already have. Adjustable butt stocks, better scope mounts, and free floated barrels are pretty much standard on even middle of the road civilian AR15s. What amazes me is there are still senior Marines in the fleet that actually do not want some of the upgrades because you cannot use the weapon as a club or the two man buddy lift over a wall. Maybe they should us empirical data and actually survey combat vets and ask them how many people have been butt stroked in the head in the last 10 years. Give the Marine as good a weapon as you can and stop worrying about the irrelevant stuff.

As for the new M27 IAR it looks like the Corps is trying to go back to the old Browning Automatic Rifle principle. I am taking a wait and see approach but I cannot for the the life of me figure how they are going to do fire and maneuver with this thing. Maneuver yes but all they did was add another M16 to the fire team and take out a weapon the M249 saw that is capable of sustained fire. Anyway here are some pictures of the weapon in Afghanistan.

Lebanon

2011-06-13T12:17:00.002-05:00

A terrorist group has taken over a country. Hezbollah has gained control the cabinet and with 16 of 30 seats. I hope that the US government cuts off all aid to Lebanon as we do not need to be arming a terrorist organization. The mullahs in Iran must be dancing in the streets today (well if it were allowed) now they will not need to smuggle weapons into Lebanon. They can do it officially as weapons sales to a friendly government. This will make interception of these shipments much more difficult politically.

No good is going to come from this.

Navy Crosses Awarded

2011-06-11T11:54:00.002-05:00

Day by day, the legend of the Battle of Ganjgal grows.

The Sept. 8, 2009, clash between at least 50 heavily armed insurgents and the Marine trainers and Afghan forces they surprised in Kunar province, Afghanistan, already has led to three Marines and a Navy corpsman posthumously receiving the Bronze Star with V.

Two Marines were awarded the Navy Cross and another awaits a Medal of Honor investigation for this action.

Despite being under fire from a well entrenched enemy the patrol did not receive fire support or reinforcements and had to extract themselves. An investigation conducted by Army Col. Richard Hooker and Marine Col. James Werth, it determined that “negligent” leadership by three officers at nearby Forward Operating Base Joyce contributed “directly to the loss of life which ensued.” They refused direct calls for help from U.S. forces on the ground and failed to notify higher commands that they had troops in contact with enemy, the investigation found.

The officers were members of Task Force Chosin, a unit comprising soldiers from 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y. In February, Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Army officials told him that two of the three officers ultimately received reprimands, a likely career killer.

This is the second large case of negligent leadership shown by Army officers as the troops in Wanat were also not supported or supplied properly which also led to a large loss of life. Risk averse officers who are to worried about not making waves are letting our soldiers and Marines die. This is what happens when you try to make warfighters into policemen.

Iran

2011-06-09T14:08:00.002-05:00

While the world has been watching the Arab Spring, the NATO bombings of Libya, and the atrocities of Syria against its own population (with Iranian and Hezbollah help). Iran has been has been up to its usual of Jihad against the West, their Sunni neighbors (except the Taliban which it is arming just like they did Iraqi resistance), and its own people.

In Bahrain it appears that Iran encouraged and helped that countries Shia rise up against their current Sunni King. This uprising was brutally put down by members of the Gulf Cooperation Council led by Saudi Arabian troops. There is really two pieces of this one the encroachment of Iran further toward the Sunni heartland something that the Saudis will not tolerate and the fact that Bahrain allowed foreign troops in to kill its own population. In addition the world was quiet about the whole affair with oil being the price that it is. The issue over who is going to be the protector of the Arabs now that Egypt may or may not have the strong anti-Iran policy it once did.

Iran not ones to pass up killing US troops on the cheap are continuing to arm the Taliban something that was noted as far back as 2006. The Iranians also made it a policy to arm the Shiite groups in Iraq as well notably Sadr. Our friends in the UK are also making the case of Iranian involvement in Afghanistan it would appear the the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps which is the organization involved the most in spreading the Iranian jihad is behind arming the Taliban.

There is further Iranian involvement in South American not only in Venezuela but now in Bolivia.
Bolivia’s ongoing relations with Iran are being scrutinized by the foreign community. Israeli sources have documented deposits of uranium in Bolivia and have speculated that this is another reason for the growing ties between the two countries. Vahidi is one of the main promoters of Iran’s nuclear program as well as a strong proponent of the development of vectorial nuclear arms systems. Considering this, it is extremely dangerous that Vahidi has offered military support to Bolivia.

On the subject of nuclear weapons anyone that has doubts about the Iranian program should just re-bury their heads in the sand. It appears Iran wants a nuclear weapon by next year. Obviously years of talks have done nothing and that stronger measures maybe necessary to at least help the Iranian people get rid of the Mullahs.

The US has not had a consistant Iran policy since the overthrow of the Shah. This has to end no matter what party is in the White House. Strong steps must be utilized to help Iranian resistance and if need be force used to slow down or stop the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Mad

2011-05-25T21:57:00.004-05:00

I normally take the side of police in such matters until the police decide to criminally cover up an illegal shooting. A former Marine Jose Guerena gets gunned down by police in his own home and the police try to cover it up. I do not want to make political hash out of this (some have already started) but a severe injustice was done by a political Sheriff and what appears to be an incompetent SWAT unit. This young man did exactly what I would do if my wife was screaming someone was breaking into our home. I would have done grabbed my AR15 and waited. While I do not know the home defense laws in AZ, where I live you can start blasting if you can clearly explain a threat. Seeing armed men in my house is a threat I would have started shooting. This young man as NOW admitted by police had the fire discipline not to fire probably when he recognized they were police. Do you know how they responded by firing 71 rounds 71! at one man hitting him 60 and then let him bleed out for over an hour before letting paramedics onto the scene. I am not just mad because this young man was a Marine I am mad because of the incompetence of this Sheriff and his SWAT team. The Sheriff and every member of that SWAT team should be in prison in shackles and every day be made to apologize to this young mans widow and child. Now the wife rightfully so has hired a of lawyer and I hope they bankrupt Pima County, AZ.

Thankfully in this case the Marine Corps gave this young man the full military funeral that he deserved. His home country killed him when two tours in Iraq did not.

Fresh attack in Pakistan

2011-05-22T18:23:00.002-05:00

Since the killing of bin Laden a couple of weeks ago the Taliban and AQ have been swearing their revenge. It has started off a little pitiful to be hones a couple of attacks on soft Pakistani targets and attempt on some US diplomatic personnel. These have caused only civilian Pakistani deaths and have not produced the Western or even Pakistani security service deaths they have to be striving for. However today terrorists (Taliban) are in the midst of an attack on a Pakistani Navy base in Karachi . Update from Pakistani news, 2 P3 patrol planes has been destroyed along with four Pakistani Naval personnel and a Ranger killed so far with the attack still ongoing....