tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post603185500365649500..comments2024-03-17T22:16:35.766-07:00Comments on LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: A Landmine By Any Other NameEUGENE PLAWIUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-38594601104176544552007-08-22T05:57:00.000-07:002007-08-22T05:57:00.000-07:00Thanks Joe for the comment, and while I agree with...Thanks Joe for the comment, and while I agree with your premise, you overlooked the fact that the CIA provided the Mujahadin with land mines as well as stinger missiles. However that being said I maintain that many of these so called IED or road side bombings, are the result of land mines not cleared out of Afghanistan.EUGENE PLAWIUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11736971647879996375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9311998.post-83159745392686226092007-08-21T18:49:00.000-07:002007-08-21T18:49:00.000-07:00You're correct that "IED" was invented so the Pent...You're correct that "IED" was invented so the Pentagon's nomenklatura didn't need to explain why they weren't prepared for something that had been a staple of war for 600 years.<BR/><BR/>You're dead wrong in terms of land mine origins in Afghanistan. The overwhelming majority are Soviet in origin - and even during the Soviet occupation, most land mines used by their Afghan enemies were of Soviet origin. Just take unexploded bombs, shells, and rockets, and wire them into detonation devices. Or, bribe local Afghan Army personnel to turn over perfectly good Soviet equipment. There's no point in supplying that from outside when so many local sources exist, unless you're trying to achieve specialized effects. Ever try to CARRY a land mine? Obviously not.<BR/><BR/>Many of the base materials one would use for land mines are still stowed/ hidden around Afghanistan, of course.<BR/><BR/>The Soviets, meanwhile, dropped land mines by the millions all over the country. Indeed, there are still hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of unexploded Soviet land mines in Afghanistan.<BR/><BR/>They remain a hazard to Afghans, the Taliban, and NATO troops alike, independent of the organized explosive devices being planted by the Taliban/ al-Qaeda.Joe Katzmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13917754785464014034noreply@blogger.com