Iraq or Afghanistan Question About Our Troops

[ThomWV]

Has there been any real attempt to capture any of our soldiers?

I suspect the case is correctly made that by disregarding the Geneva Convention's Accords on treatment of prisoners we place our own soldiers in greater jeopardy and likelihood of torture if captured. But strangely enough I don't recall that there's been any real attempt to capture our guys in uniform. In fact in the few cases where I recall reading about any captures at all they were the result of botched actions we initiated and guys somehow left behind.

Am I wrong on this or are the 'insurgents' avoiding taking our guys?

[geek tragedy]

1. The jihadis in Afghanistan rape and torture POW's for fun.

Just ask the Soviets. Geneva Convention doesn't matter to them, and it never did.

[Kraklen]

2. These were the ones trained by Americans, right?

Sounds like American style warfare.

[mike_c]

3. but, as the OP pointed out, not much of that is happening....

Part of the reason, I suspect, has to do with tactics. The partisan resistance in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan are not fighting strategic engagements with the enemy-- even less so as their tactics become further honed. Hit and run attacks, IEDs, car bombs, and so on don't provide much opportunity for overrunning enemy defenses and taking their surrender. That's one consequence of struggling against overwhelming force. In the 70's, Soviets in Afghanistan were more like the Americans in Vietnam-- often isolated or out-gunned when in the countryside.

[acmejack]

4. I thought they didn't take prisoners

Seems I heard that during the war with Russia.

[tabasco]

5. Yah, thank goodness Americans never do that !

Ask the Soviets how they treat prisoners while you're at it.

By disregarding the importance of international conventions, Bush has jeopardized the safety of our troops and disgraced our Nation.

[geek tragedy]

6. I'm not going to defend what Bush has wrought--those human rights

abuses do endanger our troops.

However, I do doubt that comes into play much in Afghanistan. I'd rather spend a year at Abu Ghraib than spend one night in the hands of the Taliban.