| < Prev Article | Next Article > |
|---|
20 August 2009
This dispatch has been dictated by satellite phone due to communications difficulties. My satellite gear has failed on election day. I do not know how well the elections turned out in other parts of Afghanistan. Here in North Helmand Province, near Sangin, I am told that less than 300 people voted. In this area the day was marked by serious fighting. Apache attack helicopters were firing their cannons throughout the day. The howitzers fired many times. The mortars were firing. Various bases were attacked. On the mission I accompanied the snipers were firing. We got into a firefight, and the soldier beside me had his antenna shot off. I would not characterize this as a failure of the elections, it was a local setback. We saw the same in Iraq in early 2005, where some people boycotted the elections. The situation here is not good, but this is only one area of Afghanistan. I do not know what happened elsewhere.
Michael
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entryComments (12)
Subscribe to this comment's feedElection
Demotix elections coverage
www.demotix.com (Future Voice Afghanistan)
Thanks!!!
nothing
Also, it is refreshing to read of upcoming journalists who look to you as a model for truth in reporting. May the Lord bless all of you and keep you; may he make his countenance to shine upon you and keep you safe.
What???
Regretably, an all to common ignorant off the wall comment.
God Bless You
Danny
thanks
Stupid Afghanis
Re: "Stupid Afghanis"
Blue burqas election
So embedded Journalist very experienced in Iraq with all those pics live from war zones in Iraq, but here on the Blue burqas election day his so only poor phone line put him down?
So cute excuse?
Note: your satellite phone might jammed by the systems used by US military.
My 2 cents
Cant these Troopers get a specter gunship support ?
Now I am just going to put in my 2 cents , I do not want to offend anyone.
Cant some of these psy ops guys set up speaks at night to make it sound like helicopters are inbound , you are drawing out the enemy so you can ambush him, specter gunships and other on hand. In addition by doing this randomly at night the enemy can’t really tell when there is inbound helicopters’ or not.
Now one of things some sweared by or sweared at , Nam, was some carried a full magazine load of tracers . This was for directing fire onto a hidden target. This was to alert others the position of the hidden enemy.
When you shorten your barrel length on your M16 your lessen the powder burn combustion, you reduce muzzle velocity, the kinetic energy –incapacitation factor, less lethal rounds.
The M16 A2 muzzle break compensator hand the bottomed covered, that keeps dust from fly up in your face as an open bottom would do, when you are laying in a prone firing position, it also acts like muzzle break compensator, as it vents gas upwards , pushing down the barrels upward movement when firing.
It also appeared this camp did not have any 50 caliber sniper rifles, or some M1A1 match 308’s, if they are on a valley floor they need some good firepower. Also did you ever notice how artillery pieces lengthen the barrel for range & accuracy ? You can do that with an M16, by simply changing the upper receiver to a 24” , 1-9 twist barrel.
Some Intel guys should collect some spent enemy rounds, from wounded , make some bullet traps or other to obtain info on the type of caliber rounds being shot at these troopers.
I do not know if you could start a fund drive of some kind for these guys, like adopt a sniper so they could get some good gear.
From what I saw these guys need some serious support .








