Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Irish Defence Forces Personnel in Afghanistan

Options
2»

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    Fred Cohen
    Registered Users Posts: 189 ✭✭Fred Cohen


    LondonIrish90 wrote: »
    I'm sure every contribution in this manner, regardless of size, is greatly appreciated by the rest of the ISAF forces in Afghanistan. Also a very telling contribution politically.


    Not quite they chucked out one of our Foreign Affairs lads for going native with the tribesmen.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161004.stm


  • Options
    #33
    Local-womanizer
    Registered Users Posts: 3,798 ✭✭✭Local-womanizer


    Fred Cohen wrote: »
    Not quite they chucked out one of our Foreign Affairs lads for going native with the tribesmen.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7161004.stm

    In fairness it seems this is down to an over-zealous Afghan with a blinkered view on the war there, ie kill as many of them and this will win the war.

    The two diplomats were trying to make contact with locals on the ground affected by the conflict, and they said this may include those opposed to the government.

    Now I see it a good thing that they are putting themselves at risk to find out why people fight for the Taliban against ISAF. Address the issues at grass roots level to keep people happy in the hope they won't pick up an AK and shoot at you out of frustration and in turn destroy the support base of the Taliban in country.

    And that article is also from 2007. I'd say things over there have developed a lot in 4 years.


  • Options
    #34
    Fred Cohen
    Registered Users Posts: 189 ✭✭Fred Cohen


    Local-womanizer wrote: »
    In fairness it seems this is down to an over-zealous Afghan with a blinkered view on the war there, ie kill as many of them and this will win the war.

    The two diplomats were trying to make contact with locals on the ground affected by the conflict, and they said this may include those opposed to the government.

    Now I see it a good thing that they are putting themselves at risk to find out why people fight for the Taliban against ISAF. Address the issues at grass roots level to keep people happy in the hope they won't pick up an AK and shoot at you out of frustration and in turn destroy the support base of the Taliban in country.

    And that article is also from 2007. I'd say things over there have developed a lot in 4 years.

    I would agree with you totally there, I just wanted to point out that the Irish involvement does not consist of just hanging around the bar as some posting here seem to think.

    As to this being 4 years old, these two lads were 3 years ahead of the game and things only started to develop (in a good way) when Gen David Petraeus took over in 2010 and guess who's methods he followed?

    Hopefully things will continue to improve over there but I'm reading a book on Alexander the Great at the moment and if he couldn't subdue it, I don't think we have much hope.


  • Options
    #35
    Uncle Fester
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭Uncle Fester


    Afg4.jpg
    Irish Soldier and Tri-Colour at ISAF HQ

    Afg7.jpg
    COMISAF General Stanley McChrystal with Irish Troops ISAF HQ 2010


  • Options
    #36
    constantg
    Registered Users Posts: 666 ✭✭✭constantg


    jill_valentine wrote: »
    Catch 22 for the 21st century - I'd question the sanity of anybody willing to make such a horrifying sacrifice.
    ,


    Seriously? Personally I'd love to go, but as a mate of mine in 1RIR said after coming back,

    "Was REALLY wired before I went. Was TOTALLY buzzing on the ground. First time I was hit up felt EPIC. The other 50 or so times after felt a lot less epic and in the end I was just glad to be coming home alive and in one piece, unlike some of my mates."


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #37
    jill_valentine
    Registered Users Posts: 7,090 ✭✭✭jill_valentine


    I can only assume y'all are missing the Mary Byrne beef curtains thing because the fragile human mind prefers to block it out in self defence.


  • Options
    #38
    cyrusdvirus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,752 ✭✭✭cyrusdvirus


    jill_valentine wrote: »
    I can only assume y'all are missing the Mary Byrne beef curtains thing because the fragile human mind prefers to block it out in self defence.

    Ah stoppit will ya!!! I'm trying to eat my brekkie here!!! :D


  • Options
    #39
    SIRREX
    Registered Users Posts: 217 ✭✭SIRREX


    gatecrash wrote: »
    Ah stoppit will ya!!! I'm trying to eat my brekkie here!!! :D

    Not Rashers I hope!


  • Options
    #40
    Perkina3
    Registered Users Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Perkina3


    No probably a big side of beef... with plenty of Mary Byrnes fat! :P


  • Options
    #41
    Uncle Fester
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭Uncle Fester


    I had a few more photographs that I was going to share on this thread, but it a pity that it has gone astray from the original post :confused:


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #42
    Maybe_Memories
    Registered Users Posts: 927 ✭✭✭Maybe_Memories


    Uncle Fester wrote: »
    I had a few more photographs that I was going to share on this thread, but it a pity that it has gone astray from the original post :confused:

    Post 'em! Would love to see them! :)


  • Options
    #43
    jill_valentine
    Registered Users Posts: 7,090 ✭✭✭jill_valentine


    *Unless they're of Mary Byrne.


  • Options
    #44
    kickboxer
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭kickboxer


    Flying wrote: »
    Amazing that ISAF need Irish EOD Officers, when they have several dozen British ATO's in Kabul alone.

    No more than a news bite, I was there with the Brits and again the "Paddy the Pig" Officers were told to stand to one side and close the hole below their nose as they were spouting to much BS.

    Irish Army EOD officers barely get out of bed in the morning, it is usually the NCO's in the EOD that actual do the real work.

    AS do all the nco,s in the army ,they carry the officers throught their entire carrer.


  • Options
    #45
    cruasder777
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,332 ✭✭✭cruasder777


    Fred Cohen wrote: »
    I would agree with you totally there, I just wanted to point out that the Irish involvement does not consist of just hanging around the bar as some posting here seem to think.

    As to this being 4 years old, these two lads were 3 years ahead of the game and things only started to develop (in a good way) when Gen David Petraeus took over in 2010 and guess who's methods he followed?

    Hopefully things will continue to improve over there but I'm reading a book on Alexander the Great at the moment and if he couldn't subdue it, I don't think we have much hope.


    Im a bit lost ? Whos method did General Petraeus follow ?


    You mean the two diplomants explled as MI6 agents a few yrs back ?

    Obviously there is going to have to be compromise in Afghanistan, its inevitable the Taliban will end up in power in some regions.


  • Options
    #46
    DipStick McSwindler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,460 ✭✭✭DipStick McSwindler


    This post has been deleted.


Advertisement