A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft moves into position to refuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft while on a mission over Afghanistan on May 29, 2008. The Stratotanker is assigned to the Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, U.S. Air Force. (Released)Using Bad PR Is Taliban’s Defense Against Airpower -- AJC
“Tanks and armor are not a big deal —- the planes are the killers. I can handle everything but the jet fighters.” This recent conversation between Taliban commanders, intercepted by U.S. intelligence officers, does much to explain the frenzied efforts of their propaganda machine to ban the use of the weapon they fear most: airpower.
Of course, not every complaint about airstrikes is Taliban propaganda. Even with the strictest rules, bombs can go awry in the chaos of combat. Each allegation must be investigated impartially, and changes made when warranted. We can never forget that every civilian death is heartbreaking.
Yet we would be naive to ignore Taliban scheming. Consider that in 1954 guerillas fighting the French in Vietnam attacked a remote fort at Dien Bien Phu. Without adequate airpower, the exhausted defenders were forced to surrender before a French relief column could reach them. The spectacle of nearly 12,000 of their troops being taken prisoner spelled defeat for France’s entire war effort.
Fourteen years later, the Vietnamese tried to do the same thing to the Americans at Khe Sanh. This time, U.S. airpower pummeled the attackers, prevented them from capturing the base, and helped deliver one of the U.S.’ greatest victories of the war.
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My Comment: Air power has completely revolutionized counter insurgency tactics and strategy. Predator drones with accurate weapon systems that can spot and pinpoint a target under 24/7 conditions .... this is not an enemy that you can easily defeat. The Taliban are learning this the hard way.