[Peace-discuss] Putting down rebellion

[C. G. Estabrook]

[On this July 4, I have no doubt that I could find a record of British 
General William Howe saying of the army of the American Continental 
Congress, "I think you have to recognize this is an enemy that is 
adaptable and at times is barbaric. They adjust to our tactics, 
techniques and procedures. We certainly do see it as an enemy that 
represents an ideology that does not tolerate those who do not think the 
way they do." (Reinforcements for British troops in Boston will be part 
of the next wave of troops, Howe said.) --CGE]

	Gen. Petraeus says Taliban is a resilient enemy
	AP - Saturday, July 4

CALGARY, Alberta - The head of U.S. Central Command warned Friday that 
the thousands of American troops surging into Afghanistan's turbulent 
Helmand province to battle the Taliban are in for a tough fight.

Gen. David Petraeus, best known for coordinating the troop surge in Iraq 
that is credited with reducing that country's violence, cautioned that 
the Taliban are resilient fighters.

About 68,000 American troops will be on the ground in Afghanistan by 
this fall -- double previous numbers. That's compared to about 2,700 
Canadian soldiers.

Petraeus, who oversees U.S. military operations in a region that 
stretches from North Africa to the Middle East, is visiting Calgary, 
Alberta, at the invitation of Gen. Walter Natynczyk, Canada's chief of 
defense staff.

Afghanistan, where 121 Canadian soldiers have died, has been a challenge 
for coalition troops since the NATO mission began in 2002. Canada's 
mission to Afghanistan set to expire in 2011.

Although coalition forces have been able to clear insurgents from hotly 
contested areas, the Taliban return when foreign troops leave.

The new American offensive hopes to stop that. About 4,000 U.S. marines 
and 650 Afghan troops are now moving through Helmand, west of Kandahar 
province. U.S. forces plan to hold freed areas until Afghan security 
forces can gain a foothold.

Reinforcements for Kandahar will be part of the next wave of troops, 
Petraeus said.

"The next group that deploys is a Stryker Brigade combat team _ it's a 
very substantial force," he said.

The Stryker Brigades are built around eight-wheeled armored vehicles 
that are very similar to the LAV 3s that are used by Canadian battle 
groups in Afghanistan.

"You know the Stryker vehicle has proven to be very sought after in 
Iraq. It has superb connectivity, satellite (communications), 
distributed command and controls and it is well protected for an 
environment that has seen increasing use of improvised explosive 
devices," Petraeus said.

The new troops will be led by U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was 
President Barack Obama's recent choice to take over the NATO-led 
conflict in Afghanistan.

All commanders have received new orders to prevent troops from shooting 
at the Taliban if there is any risk of civilian casualties.

"We've seen violence go up in the fighting seasons in each of these last 
two years to levels considerably above those in previous years," 
Petraeus said. "So we've got to stop that trend and then we have to 
reverse it."

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090704/twl-cn-canada-petraeus-afghanistan-38359fb.html