Monday, January 12, 2009

Rough Roads

It is the case that Afghanistan is a more primitive country than Iraq, one aspect of this primitiveness is the few highways and limited paved roads. Plus Afghanistan is more mountainous. All of which translates into a different kind of battle.

The IED is a major tool of the Iraqis. First of all because there are fewer paved roads, the use of IEDs is limited. Further, we are equipped with vehicles built to resist these bombs. However, of necessity, these vehicles are very heavy and have a hard time keeping up with the SUVs of the Afghans when chasing them on natural terrain, which is quite rough.

Weight is also a problem pursuing the Taliban on foot. Our troops are protected with bulletproof vests that weigh 60 pounds. Try climbing a mountain with one.

Even the Humvees are finding Afghanistan a difficult place. The transmissions keep breaking down.

No comments: