It is amazing to discover at this late date that there was anywhere in Afghanistan where American troops were not allowed to carry weapons. And there still may be — it is unclear from this AP story. Such a policy is a consequence of the politically correct fictions about Islam being a religion of peace that prevail in Washington, and have prevailed for years now. The idea is that we will show our good faith to the Afghans by allowing our troops to be unarmed in government buildings. Will Afghan jihadis see that as a sign of weakness and take advantage of it? Of course not!
How many more Americans must die before this idiotic line of thought is abandoned in all its manifestations, not just this one?
Note also that the wretched dhimmi Allen, who videotaped a groveling, embarrassing apology to the “noble people of Afghanistan” after the Qur’an burnings a few weeks ago, is touting the measures that Afghan troops are taking to keep us safe as well. Pull my other leg, Allen. On the other hand, he probably believes and trusts the Afghans in this, as in all things.
“New security for US troops in Afghanistan to guard against Afghan insider threats,” from Associated Press, March 29:
U.S. troops in Afghanistan now have far-reaching new protections against rogue killers among their Afghan allies, including assigned “guardian angels,” fellow troops who will watch over them as they sleep.
Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, ordered the added protections in recent weeks to guard against insider threats, according to a senior military official. They come in the wake of 16 attacks on U.S. and coalition forces by Afghans that now represent nearly one-fifth of all combat deaths this year….
In several Afghan ministries, Americans are now allowed to carry weapons. And they have been instructed to rearrange their office desks there to face the door, so they can see who is coming in, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the orders.
Two U.S. military officers working in the Afghan Interior Ministry, one of the most heavily guarded ministry buildings in Kabul, were gunned down at their desks on Feb. 25. While Allen did not detail the new measures in a briefing earlier this week, he acknowledged that changes had been made….
Navy Capt. John Kirby, a spokesman for Allen, said the general “ordered commanders to take appropriate steps to protect his troops, prudent steps that make sense to our Afghan partners as well. But he also made it clear that we weren’t coming to all stop, that the work must continue, and that we couldn’t let the partnership itself become a casualty of war.”
U.S. commanders and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta say the killings do not represent a trend, and they say that fewer than half of the killings have been by Afghans associated with the Taliban.
Instead, Allen said, these types of attacks come with fighting an insurgency and happened in Iraq and Vietnam. The enemy, he said, will do what it can to disrupt efforts to train and grow a nation’s indigenous security force.
Still, the recent increase in Afghans gunning down troops they are serving with reflects increased tensions between Afghanistan and the U.S. just as the American-led coalition force escalates efforts to train Afghans to take over their own security so that most NATO forces can leave by the end of 2014.
Officials insist the killings have not hampered the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. But they come at a time when new, small advisory teams are heading into Afghanistan to enhance the training program, requiring them to work closely with Afghan military units.
So far this year, 16 NATO service members have been shot and killed by Afghan soldiers and policemen or militants disguised in their uniforms, according to an Associated Press tally. That equals 18 percent of the 84 foreign troops killed this year in Afghanistan. Of the approximately 80 NATO service members killed since 2007 by Afghan security forces, more than 75 percent were in the past two years….
Allen noted that the Afghans also have taken some similar steps to provide guards for their own forces.
The Afghans also have inserted their own intelligence officers into their units to help try to ferret out possible insurgents or rogue soldiers. And, since the ministry shooting, the Afghans have taken a number of steps to increase building security in the ministries and to improve the vetting of their workers.
“They are helping the troops to understand how to recognize radicalization or the emergence of extremism in some of those, in individuals who may in fact be suspect,” Allen said.
He noted that there have also been some arrests by Afghan forces when they identified possible attackers within their ranks.