The sovereign can no longer say, "You shall think as I do on pain of death;" but he says, "You are free to think differently from me, and to retain your life, your property, and all that you possess; but if such be your determination, you are henceforth an alien among your people."

(Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1835)

Monday 2 August 2010

Chronomap IEDs in Afghanistan 2004-2009

I came across a fascinating chronomap, indicating all IED attacks in Afghanistan between 2004 and 2009. You can find it over a liveleak.

A clear proof how the insurgency gained momentum over the years.

A shout out to all our boys and girls currently serving in Afghanistan, particularly the ones who recently deployed.

5 comments:

  1. Very well said, Fred.

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  2. Not clear proof at all. Not proof of any kind in fact. This focuses only on IED attacks. What about other kinetic incidents, like RPG attacks for example? A rise in IED strikes could merely indicate a lack of other weapons/ammo, in otherwords a disruption in their supply lines. Perhaps there are more IED strikes simply because there are more ISAF troops to be attacked?

    You can draw any conclusion you want when you take one fact in isolation. What about ISAF/ANSF freedom of movement? What about the presence of shadow governors? What about the presence of girls in schools? Local marketplaces? These are some among many factors that all have to be considered before we can say the Taliban are back.

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  3. So what do you take out of this chronomap, Lt. G.?

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  4. That the Taliban are very good at planting IEDs.

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  5. haha, stumped :)

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