This has been driving me crazy, don’t believe everything you see on the news. Remember that the media is a business; as much as they blab about the public’s “right to know” they exist to make money. The big man is clear so OPSEC is no longer an issue.
Yesterday there was an explosion at the front gate. It killed a lot of people and wounded a bunch more. This is not the first time it happened here, and I doubt it will be the last. However since an important person was here, and I am sure he travels with a press corps, it hit the news very fast. Within 20 minutes it was on one of the 24 hours news stations.
Because such an important person was here, they threw in his name to attract more viewers. Even though he was as safe as you can be in this country, they had to throw in his name and say that he was safe. I can’t tell you the levels of security this guy had, mainly because I only know of some of them. So with the severe levels of security, the response time of the people here, and the fact that pretty much everyone here is armed (even me, and even though I can walk around unarmed) plus the “one shot deal” that a suicide vest is, there is no way they targeted the VIP. You show me a multiple use suicide vest and we will talk.
Here is something else to keep in mind. For the past few decades our enemies have been better with the media than we are. In Somalia they knew that they didn’t have to win on a tactical level, they just had to have one good battle and get the aftermath on the news and the American people would want to pull out. Most Americans get their information from sound bites and the rest of the world knows that. Until you have been in a briefing with very high ranking people, you really don’t know what is going on. And I have been in briefings with four star generals, so I know a little of the behind the scenes info.
The bad guys watch CNN too, so when they saw who was on post, of course they made a statement saying that he was the target. Of fucking course they did. And they knew that the media would eat it up and not report what an idiotic plan it would have been to try and break into a secure base, fight your way through a bunch of levels of security and about a dozen check points, ID stations and choke points, and kill one VIP using only one explosive vest. It just isn’t possible.
Oh and by the way, no one knew he was here. They didn’t release that he was coming, and the information was kept close hold. I am pretty wired into what goes on, and I didn’t even get much warning. And I track a lot of what goes on around here.
No matter what you want to think about Afghans, they did a pretty good job of fighting the Russians. There are some in the Taliban that have the tactical knowledge to know that is the target was worth it, they know how they should attack here, and one suicide bomber isn’t going to do it. Stop helping them use the media against you. Or more importantly….. against me.
One thing that pisses me off, is that there was a suicide bomber a few months ago, and no one cared. It wasn’t an attempt to get at the general, it was just another day for those of us in Afghanistan. And by the way, the big spring offensive isn’t anything to give a shit about. It makes for good copy but every year they hide out in winter only to get their ass handed to them when the snow melts. Seriously the Taliban die here like it is going out of style.
So what this rant all comes down to is that the media is for information not education. After seeing something on the news, you have to think about it and sift through the BS. People who only get their news and form opinions from sound bites should be hit. And I am happy to hit them.
