By Demosophist

Larry Johnson frets:

Beyond the tragedy of the deaths of US 16 military personnel, this incident raises some disturbing issues. The ability of the Taliban to communicate with the outside world about activities in a remote area of Afghanistan is equal to if not better than that of the United States. War is not simply engagements on the ground, it also involves information flow. The Taliban are showing a very sophisticated capability in this regard.

Well, two points: First, it's not likely that the communication by the Taliban was accurate regarding the bare facts. Wretchard calls the questions "interesting" rather than disturbing, and unlike Larry, admits that all we have to go on at this point is speculation. The claim the Taliban makes about "spies" is probably correct, at least in the sense that the original recon team was stealthily looking for information about "high value targets." However, it's not clear that any of the "spies" were actually captured by the Taliban, as they claimed. Again, according to Wretchard, that seems unlikely, not so much because such a capture is physically unlikely, but because their own communication suggests they're lying. Not only is the sort of "all-points" contact between the field forces and their spokesman, that so impresses Larry, probably more tenuous than they've represented, but their claim to have a "high ranking" Navy SEAL belies the fact that a high ranking officer probably would not have been on such a recon mission in the first place. Moreover, the information that such a prisoner is being held specifically in Kunar "in good health" is not something that a guerilla force hiding out in the mountains is likely to have communicated for public consumption.

So, there's probably no intentional information content in the centralized Taliban "communication," and it's difficult to tell how the capability to communicate only readily exposed disinformation is "superior" to saying nothing. In fact, in this case the Taliban would have been better off had they said nothing. By talking too much they've revealed more than they intended, which isn't what I'd call "sophistication," exactly.

Second, US forces actually have vastly superior decentralized communication networks between the public and men on the ground in remote places. They're called "milblogs." It's just that the Western and Arab press pay them no heed.

(Cross-posted by Demosophist to Demosophia and Anticipatory Retaliation)

Posted by: Demosophist at 08:59 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 397 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Where is Bin Laden? Or should I quote BUSH LIES - "McLaden"?

Posted by: Downing Street Memo at July 08, 2005 10:06 AM (ScqM8)

2 I'm just going to ignore the McMoron above. Wretchard is a very smart man and makes valid points. He has a knack for interpreting military issues in a cogent manner. I never take his ideas lightly as they are well thought out and make sense.

Posted by: Oyster at July 08, 2005 10:34 AM (fl6E1)

3 Afghanistan Daze, sounds like a breed of marijuana or somethin.

Posted by: tyler at July 08, 2005 10:43 AM (Y9Lwb)

4 Taliban communications should not be a mystery. Satellite telephones have been used in the region for some time. And when you have ISI and Saudi supplied hardware it is not expensive to use either. Let the Taliban keep talking and the NSA keep listening...that's a good thing!

Posted by: NOTR at July 08, 2005 10:53 AM (izx0t)

5 NOTR has a point, the more they talk, the easier they are to find. They have the home field advantage in a hide-and-seek context, and they can easily slip across borders and hide among the locals who are either loyal, sympathetic, or coerced into cooperating, and they have the support of the Saudis, Pakistan, Iran, and others, but we have the technology to watch and listen and then use information gained to strike. The key is to keep terrorist sympathizers like Teddy "The Booze Sponge" Kennedy and his scumbag allies from helping them.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at July 08, 2005 12:03 PM (0yYS2)

6 I haven't met a lot of SEALs, but from the ones I've met, I don't think it's possible for the Taliban to have captured one "in good health". These guys are VERY well-trained, EXTREMELY disciplined, and know damn well how they'll be treated if captured. They'll fight to the point of incapacitation, if not death. Also, you're right that there wouldn't have been a high-ranking SEAL on a mission of this type--there are too few of those guys around to "waste" them on something like this. Froggy Ruminations has the names of the two deceased SEALs--one of them is a Lieutenant (O-3), who almost certainly was the team leader. The only one unaccounted for (and who thus could possibly be "captured") would be a non-commissioned officer.

Posted by: Jem at July 08, 2005 02:23 PM (wEYaf)

7 i think its all a big fake out by the Taliban...if they had captured a live Navy Seal they would have already have had his death shown on Al-Jazzera on the first day....they are just trying to make the American military upset to the point that it upsets its operations in the area...they wouldnt just keep claiming that they have one, they would have shown it for all to see...trying to keep their courage up and that of their followers is all

Posted by: THANOS35 at July 08, 2005 02:30 PM (QkIQE)

8 They're having trouble finding a convincing looking Navy Seal doll to video for us.

Posted by: Oyster at July 08, 2005 02:36 PM (fl6E1)

9 "I haven't met a lot of SEALs, but from the ones I've met" if you've met one, thats one too many...they're like spiderman, dude

Posted by: seany boy at July 08, 2005 09:39 PM (7Ct0V)

10 Let's take a look at Mr. Larry Johnson, If I'm right and you guys know better then me and also I don't have the time but I think he was in the Hil(opps!)Clinton time in the so called CIA. Google his name about subjects before 9/11. I think he got 99% of he's stuff wrong in op/ed's in the country's papers. My big guess is that he doesn't have a clue. And I think he's a TeleTubby that what's to get on TV. Anybody can send a email after watching CNN. Boo Hoo! Clown Boy!

Posted by: Sir Mike of New Milford at July 08, 2005 11:54 PM (Og8hE)

11 Sir Mike, adjust the meds and try again please, as I almost had an epiliptic fit trying to read your last post. I'm sure you have something Profound to say, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is. I have to go lie down now, as vertigo has me firmly in its grasp.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at July 09, 2005 01:45 PM (0yYS2)

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