that guy in the gang

Some epic war reporting from the Korengal in Afghanistan. Background:

In the case of the Korengal Valley, the story began about a century ago, when the tribesmen now known as Korengalis were kicked out of the province of Nuristan (immediately north of Kunar province) and settled in the Korengal, which was rich with timber forests and farmland. Over time they made an alliance with one branch of the large Safi tribe, which once dominated Kunar politics. But down the road along the Pech River valley, the rest of the Safis opposed the Korengalis.

Via. So the Korengalis are living in their valley, peacefully hating more or less everyone impartially. Then cometh the Americans in 2001, who immediately get gamed into bombing a local bigwig’s house and family by said bigwig’s rivals. Others in his entourage disappear into prison at Bagram. Over he goesto the insurgency and his followers with him. Now the fight is on to “subdue” the valley, a fight in which the Afghan government, perhaps knowing the locals, appears to have no interest at all. The American position is that they’ll leave as soon as the locals stop fighting them. The Korengali position – at least amongst the local warriors – seems to be that they’ll stop fighting the Americans as soon as they leave. Meanwhile, population-centric counterinsurgency theory meets the politics of the blood feud and the pair copulate violently, rolling about the valley. Outcome:

As Kearney put it to me one day at the KOP, the Korengal is like a tough Los Angeles neighborhood, “and we’re the L.A.P.D. kicking in the door, arresting guys, demanding information about the gangs, and slowly the people say, ‘No, we don’t know anything, because that guy in the gang, he’s with my sister, and that other guy, he’s my uncle’s cousin.’ Now we’ve angered them for so many years that they’ve decided: ‘I’m gonna stick with the A.C.M.’ ” — anticoalition militants — “ ‘who are my brothers and I’m not gonna rat them out.’ ”

So what exactly was his job out here? To subdue the valley.

And so it goes on. Anyway, like I say it’s epic stuff so read the whole thing. But it’s also epically pointless.

Comments

[Martin Wisse]

not just pointless, criminal.

[PA Man]

Pointless? Criminal?? Did you read the article? The Korengal Valley is a major entryway into Afghanistan from the Pakistani border areas. By blocking that entryway, the 173rd "Sky Soldiers" are making it possible for other units and agencies to conduct the all-important "hearts and minds" operations elsewhere in the Pech River Valley. Yes, it is extraordinarily hard on the soldiers -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. Sometimes the choices available to these soldiers is not between good and bad, but between bad and worse, and no matter what they do there will always be some well-fed, well-rested, warm and dry, and never-been-afraid-for-his-life "expert" in the rear very ready and more than willing to point out what those soldiers did wrong. By the way, I have a son in the unit featured in the NY Times article: Battle Company of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Yes, I wish he could come home tomorrow, but I accept that he can't and I do take some comfort in knowing that he is engaged in a very worthwhile activity.

[PA Man]

Pointless? Criminal?? Did you read the article? The Korengal Valley is a major entryway into Afghanistan from the Pakistani border areas. By blocking that entryway, the 173rd "Sky Soldiers" are making it possible for other units and agencies to conduct the all-important "hearts and minds" operations elsewhere in the Pech River Valley. Yes, it is extraordinarily hard on the soldiers -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. Sometimes the choices available to these soldiers is not between good and bad, but between bad and worse, and no matter what they do there will always be some well-fed, well-rested, warm and dry, and never-been-afraid-for-his-life "expert" in the rear very ready and more than willing to point out what those soldiers did wrong. By the way, I have a son in the unit featured in the NY Times article: Battle Company of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Yes, I wish he could come home tomorrow, but I accept that he can't and I do take some comfort in knowing that he is engaged in a very worthwhile activity.

[ejh]

the all-important "hearts and minds" operations elsewhere in the Pech River Valley

And what would that consist of?

[jamie]

I'm sorry, but if your son's going through possibly the worst experience of his life on the rationale is that "Korengal is pointed like a dagger at the heart of Pech", then the accusation of pointlessness still stands. The article also states very clearly that the US was gamed into this fight; that it continues to fight because it is fighting, and that there's no prospect of the fight being over. What end state do you think can be reached through combat here?