Rolling up Al Qaeda in Somalia

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Im not sure how to quantify caring,

Willingness to retaliate is a decent metric - you think America would've tried to blow up this guy if he had blown up the Chinese embassies instead? I think not.

or how to compare it to the degree to which people from other countries focus on their own losses.

I made no such comparison.

But to say America mourns only its own is completely false.

I didn't say it only mourns its own, I said it chiefly mourns it own.

When youre bombing terrorists, sometimes you kill civilians. Thats unfortunate, but otherwise hiding among civilians would make terrorists immune. Canadians and Brits and Dutch and Danes have found that out in Afghanistan. So did every Nato country that participated in Kosovo. I dont know what Swedish forces have been doing the last 5 years.

Nothing much. Well, mostly policing - we leave fighting to those with the guts to do it.

[Arrian]

Willingness to retaliate is a decent metric - you think America would've tried to blow up this guy if he had blown up the Chinese embassies instead? I think not.

No, but at the same time I'd rather thing America would recognize the Chinese right to go after the people who blew it up, and even possibly share any intel we had on the bastards.

All nations/peoples chiefly mourn their own. One could "fix" this by getting everyone to consider everyone else "one's own" but that appears to be a ways down the road, if ever.

-Arrian

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by Arrian

All nations/peoples chiefly mourn their own.

Certainly. LOTM seems to want to pretend America is an exception.

[Arrian]

I really don't get that impression. It seems to me that LotM was reacting to the assertion that America mourning chiefly it's own was somehow unique, or more pronouced than in other cultures.

-Arrian

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie
We use special forces in Afghanistan and Congo. They are very secret and about the only time any reports of them reached media was when some of them were killed by an IED. But I assume they are as effective in finding Bin Ladin as your forces are.

Im sure if they are active in Afghanistan, they are quite willing to call in airstrikes when that is tactically required.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Arrian
I really don't get that impression. It seems to me that LotM was reacting to the assertion that America mourning chiefly it's own was somehow unique, or more pronouced than in other cultures.

-Arrian

You have understood me correctly.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
BTW

Somali raids miss terror suspects

Translate: US attacks Somali village, scores of innocent civilians massacred!

If you actually read the article, the official who said we missed the top guys also said

"The US official, who refused to be named, however said that Somalis with close ties to al-Qaeda had been killed."

[dannubis]

Originally posted by Arrian
There seem to be conflicting reports. The ambassador says one thing, an unnamed source says another.

It's gotta be hard to know for sure if you got the guy. They've got what, a grainy picture of him? How do you positively ID the body? Especially after an airstrike.

-Arrian

You'd have to sort out his bodyparts from those of the civilians he was using as a shield.

BTW, if anyone was still wondering, this is the kind of **** that makes two thirds of the world hates the US enough to fly a plane in a stupid building.

[Jaakko]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


If you actually read the article, the official who said we missed the top guys also said

"The US official, who refused to be named, however said that Somalis with close ties to al-Qaeda had been killed."

Yeah, the ties seem to materialise whenever civvies get killed by US dick-waving excercises. How convenient.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Last Conformist

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Im not sure how to quantify caring,

Willingness to retaliate is a decent metric - you think America would've tried to blow up this guy if he had blown up the Chinese embassies instead? I think not.

IIUC we are trying to kill, capture, and blow up all high level AQ, including those with ties to bombings in Bali, Madrid, London, Karachi, etc, etc. So Id have to respectfully disagree you on that.

BTW, you know the guy in question is also suspected in connection with the Mombassa bombing, which was not connected with an American target.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by dannubis


You'd have to sort out his bodyparts from those of the civilians he was using as a shield.

BTW, if anyone was still wondering, this is the kind of **** that makes two thirds of the world hates the US enough to fly a plane in a stupid building.

So youre saying that 2/3 of the world supported AQs attack on the WTC? I thought only benighted fascist Americans failed to recognize that most Muslims (not to mention everyone else) was truely opposed to that.

Well at least youve outted yourself.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Jaakko


Yeah, the ties seem to materialise whenever civvies get killed by US dick-waving excercises. How convenient.

Or, alternatively, we only attack when our intell indicates that the ties exist. Why would we WANT to have an exercise in Somalia, where we have been trying to keep a low profile and let the Ethiopians take the lead? what would be the motivation?

[Last Conformist]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


So youre saying that 2/3 of the world supported AQs attack on the WTC?

No, he's saying 2/3 of the world would be willing to do a such attack themselves.

Probably not what he meant, but it is what he said.

[dannubis]

Give me one POOR Islamic country where the general sentiment is favourable towards the US society. And I am not debating the lip service of the local governement. I agree that most people were shocked. But absolutely not all of them were horrified by it.

So yes, in two thirds of the countries of the world you will find people who hate you enough to kill themselves to get at you.

And calling me a nazi is not going to help your point a lot given the nature current discussion. If there is one who bases the weight of human life on a scale that is based on what race your parents are from, it is you pal.

[Arrian]

You maroon. He didn't call you a nazi.

-Arrian