Pentagon Loosens Rules of Engagement Against ISIS in Afghanistan
Jan 22, 2016 | by Lucas Tomlinson
The Obama administration has loosened the rules of engagement for U.S. forces striking the Islamic State and affiliated groups in Afghanistan, allowing them to target militants just for being associated with the terror network, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News.
The new authorization now puts ISIS in the same category as al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Previously, the militants could be targeted only if they showed what's known as hostile intent.
"Now," a U.S. official told Fox News, "we can kill ISIS in Afghanistan just for wearing the T-shirt or waving their flag."
The Wall Street Journal first reported the change.
The development comes after the State Department designated the affiliate "ISIL-K," or Khorasan, as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this month.
Despite the new authorization allowing the military to more easily target ISIS supporters, the U.S. has been going after the militants in Afghanistan for months.
The U.S. military has conducted dozens of drone operations against ISIS affiliates in eastern Afghanistan beginning this summer in order to protect Afghan, U.S. and foreign forces.
The Obama administration has loosened the rules of engagement for U.S. forces striking the Islamic State and affiliated groups in Afghanistan, allowing them to target militants just for being associated with the terror network, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News.
The new authorization now puts ISIS in the same category as al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Previously, the militants could be targeted only if they showed what's known as hostile intent.
"Now," a U.S. official told Fox News, "we can kill ISIS in Afghanistan just for wearing the T-shirt or waving their flag."
The Wall Street Journal first reported the change.
The development comes after the State Department designated the affiliate "ISIL-K," or Khorasan, as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this month.
Despite the new authorization allowing the military to more easily target ISIS supporters, the U.S. has been going after the militants in Afghanistan for months.
The U.S. military has conducted dozens of drone operations against ISIS affiliates in eastern Afghanistan beginning this summer in order to protect Afghan, U.S. and foreign forces.
typically they would be used in a surveillance mode or offering the use of equipment and technical assistance to regular law enforcement the border patrol after some careful training. there is a huge difference in mind set from straight up soldiering and what so far is criminal incursions and a lot of drug related activity. On the side of that the Government has already suspended the Bill of Rights in any border area 100 miles from the border or the sea coasts..
The Rules of Engagement and Status of Forces Agreements between Federal LEA, Federal Military, State LEA and State Military and local law enforcement is required training prior to deployment.
Of course Obombeda may not want to spent the money.. he has a legacy to protect
As for vipers while I grew up, I've killed more rattlers and cottonmouths than I could hope to remember, mostly by a way back then half-settled lake in the Florida Panhandle.
The place used to look like a Tarzan movie.
Coming from our current Caliph in Grief, that would mean... hmmmm...
OK, I got this.
The tacit agreement to continue to use and promote them as the "omnipresent and constant threat" to the American people to assure they keep in power Assurances to the bungholes running it that we will not be able to stop their actions and growth...
Most Favored Caliphate status... Dropping visa requirements for "pilgrims" traveling to the US from their terroritory for "religious reasons"... and continuing negotiations to make it the United Arabic Caliphate States...
I like the other tack... Where we "Bring a firestorm of pig blooded hell upon, repeatedly decimate, and absolutely and swiftly annihilate" ISIS. That doesn't seem to be in ol' Potus's vocabulary... nor do I suspect Frau Klintonheimer, of daring to stand against the policies of her idol, the aforementioned White House Disaster.
We need... to wipe them from the face of existence -
or in the immortal and not-yet spoken words of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam Corrino IV...
" I want 50 legions of Sardaukar in ISIL territory at once.
(50 legions? That's our entire reserves as well?)
This is genocide,the deliberate and systematic destruction of all traces of ISIL.
The next step is to clean up the Middle East. Hopefully, the next President will have the will to do it. Once that's accomplished, turn America's attention to North Korea.
Ideally, the USA should stay out of foreign conflicts that don't affect us directly. That is the Libertarian ideal. However, when Iran is on the verge of getting nuclear devices, North Korea has nuclear devices and is working on ICBMs, anything that goes on in the world can affect us. And like the wise philosopher Hillel said, "If not us, who?"
Mideast to itself (except for our alliance with Is-
rael), and just let the Sunnis, Shiites, and Isis kill
each other; and then maybe afterward we could
go in and finish off the winner. What is the point
of helping to overthrow a dictatorship if the
place just gets another dictatorship, possibly
even a worse one?
Jan
My first reaction is to admit that the USA foreign policy is wrong, and we will no longer interfere in other countries' affairs. We will trade if it suits every one, but we will no longer try to install democracy in other countries, or be the savior of peoples who get themselves in trouble from their own actions.
Maybe its naive to think that this would reset our relations with other countries and get us off the list of "terrible and onerous" witches of the west. Let islam be islam and chop off the hands of their populace with sharia law if they want. Draw the line at our country, and let other countries fend for themselves. Take troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and close most all of these bases in foreign countries that we pay for.
On the other hand, on even days I say to myself, "Well, we certainly wanted to fight the Nazi's and the Japanese during WWII." How can we maintain our integrity as a nation if we ignore a countries attempt to enslave others? It would be like walking by an assault on the street and not trying to stop it.
Jan