i meant during UN missions

As if the current Afghan War is unpopular enough! whatever the real reasons why NATO troops cannot have even remotely resembling a victory or success, A war dragging on for 10 years with no resolution in sight surely means they are doing everything wrong?

The Taliban still has not been defeated,warlords are are getting even more influential, Osama bin Laden has not been captured (if he STILL lives,that is),the Hamid Karzai government is getting more corrupt and undependable,drone air strikes into Pakistan are on the rise and even with heavy US support,the Pakistani Intelligence service seems to play a double game.

Meanwhile,boosted by the apparent resilience of the Mujahideen Islamist fighters,even more militants are slipping through the (very porous)borders. Numbers of Arabs,Pakistanis,Chechen and reportedly even some SEA militants are on the rise in Afghanistan,finding it harder to operate in Iraq.

All the Mujahideen has to do is simply to exist,they don't even have to operate extensively,unlike in the early years where all-out battles are frequent. Just sitting,inflicting some casualties and wait for the foreign troops that WILL eventually leave and later dealing with whatever government they have in Kabul at a the time.

Just like they did 30 years ago.....

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 14 2011, 01:45 PM

If you're talking about the southern part of Afghanistan, yes, the patrols are mostly done on vehicles due to relatively flat terrain.

However, this brings back to my point. Those heavy armored vehicles can only be used on certain roads/path which can easily be used against them.

As for the northern parts of Afghanistan, patrols are done on foot due to the mountainous terrains, not accessible by vehicles.

As for body armor, certain scenarios would be beneficial, such as close proximity engagements in an urban terrain. It would also be acceptable when on a vehicle patrol.

However, when wearing it on a foot patrol covering hundreds of miles of harsh terrain? That's just silly. The average grunt in Afghanistan carries over 100 - 150 pounds of equipment. Compare that to an average insurgent, which is about 30-40 pounds consisting of a rifle, ammo, food and water.

More weight means more energy used. The soldiers would get exhausted, which drains morale, which reduces their combat effectiveness. They would also be unable to pursue enemy combatants. Heck, the insurgents could probably even carry their wounded and still be able to outrun the encumbered soldiers.

I've read news about units that was eventually surrounded and overrun due to their inability to outrun their pursuers. Instead of a tactical withdrawal, they are forced to dig in (due to the speed advantage of their attackers) and fight it out, relying heavily on either indirect fire or air support. This is fine if you can keep the enemy siege at a distance. But, if they manage to close the gap, you are screwed.

just to nitpick,the mujahs that fought the soviets are not the taliban.those guys are in their 50s an 60s now,the warlords now were probably mujahs.some of taliban commanders maybe,not the fighters though.cant comment on the weapons though,weapons supplied by the US are now being used against them

Wow...major nit-picking there.....

anyway....I just call them Mujahids for simplicity's sake,just because people may be more familiar with the term....(western people have different names for them,most of it not so nice )

Weapons wise,no problems there....the AK-type weapons brought in 20-30 years ago should still be serviceable, although the Stingers probably ran out of battery by now but the rusty Soviet heavy machine Guns and light AA guns should still also be usable. New stocks of weapons and ammo brought across the border by the donkey-loads should be enough to sustain a low-level guerrilla warfare in the foreseeable future,sympathizers among wealthy Arab Princes (some genuinely hate the west,some are Osama's buddies) still pour in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause and experienced guerrilla fighters are coming in increasing numbers,most are from Chechnya and Former Soviet republics (Kazakhstan,Uzbekistan).

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 14 2011, 02:16 PM

If insurgents ran out of food, they just knock a door in a village somewhere and they'll be replenish. US soldiers on the other hand can't risk taking food from the local, first because it look's bad on their record, and second the food might have been poisoned. Plus, Taliban fighters, like their vietnamese counterpart, subsist on a very small amount amount of simple food (hard bread, dried jerky, etc).



most of the weapons supplied by the US during Soviet occupation was already spent figting the soviets and then fighting among the mujahiddeens. The Mujahiddeens fighting the soviets are not really a single unified front. in it, there's a Kingpins, religious zealots, nationalists and mercenaries all glued together by the common enemy. once the common enemy's gone, the alliance unraveled rather swiftly.

I agree with that,the Mujahideen was actually a general term used to describe Afghan Resistance fighters against Soviet occupation.

So,by that fact,I think it is fair to call the current Afghan fighters as Mujahideen (as a general term...I don't care what they call each faction as)

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 14 2011, 02:24 PM

werent the mujahs united and formed the northen alliance to fight another common enemy?the taliban

you should also call the ANA and afghan cabinet as mujahs as some of them were commanders of the factions and were archnemesis

Depending on situation armor can be tailored to use. From having a single carrier with plates, to carriers with plates and armor panels, to the whole hog which is plates, armored vest, panels, crotch and shoulder panels and blast visors.

Plus stuff is pretty light these days. For example the new F.A.S.T helmet is only 1.3kg for lvl3 protection.

The whole Hog? Looks heavy alright.....or this is an EOD version?

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 14 2011, 04:56 PM

thats for EOD guys,although the bottom part is missing.

hye..saye baru kt sini~~

this reminds me of awesome 'The Hurt Locker' movie

Interceptor Personal Armor Full Set


Ahhh....now that's the whole hog!!!! Really does look like an actual suit of Armor.....

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 14 2011, 07:03 PM

the throat and thigh protectors are rarely used.groin protectors are always worn,to protect future recruits ..even the shoulder protectors are not liked

I see your point,the thigh and shoulder armor obviously would restrict movement and agility for the wearer.Very dangerous in a combat situation.


Ah...like this is more likely an "operational" loadout.....groin protectors in place to protect the 'little soldiers'....

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Mar 14 2011, 07:40 PM

nice..

from official Japan Ground Self Defense.. look like Japanese army are wearing future gear in this video??

still cant beat this body armour