HELICOPTERS FALLING OUT OF THE SKY... THE END IS NEAR

Afghan conventional wisdom has always had it that they have the ability to wear down any conquerors. They've always done it and they didn't see the Soviets any differently from the way they saw the Macedonians or the British. Although, for a westerner, I've spent a lot of time in Afghanistan, it would be silly of me to fly in the face of hundreds, if not thousands, of years of conventional wisdom. Still, I always thought that the death knell for the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan-- since the Russians were unwilling to nuke the joint into oblivion-- wasn't just the Soviet Army being worn down. It had a lot to do with the American CIA, the Pakistanis and the Saudis providing the muhajadin
(Osama bin Laden included) with shoulder fired surface to air missiles (usually Soviet and Chinese SAM-7s rather than U.S. Stingers).


These missiles are widely available in Central Asia for around $2,500 as are M-16s, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), communications equipment, night vision goggles. We noticed this past weekend that Iraqis seem to have been able to get their hands on U.S. military uniforms and hummvees. The surface to air missiles, though, will be the end of the road for Bush's ill-conceived military adventure in Iraq, just as they were for the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Today another helicopter was shot down, a follow-up to the Black Hawk this weekend that was downed by insurgents, killing 12 American soldiers. With nearly two-thirds of the American public "having given up" on Iraq, surface to air missiles are the last thing the Bush Regime needs to deal with now. Iraq is in the midst of a bloody civil war and the only thing that most Iraqis can agree on is that they don't like being occupied by the American military. Bush's response has been to accuse the Iranians of doing in Iraq what we did in Afghanistan. But there's not much evidence that Iran is supplying weapons to Iraqi insurgents.


UPDATE: IT GETS UGLIER

I'm not a big fan of mercenaries and I think Bush and Cheney should be tried as war criminals for unleashing thousands of them on Iraq. That said, it sickens me to read that after the Blackwater helicopter with the mercenaries was shot down this week, 4 of the 5 Americans aboard were shot in the back of the head, execution style. "The helicopter was shot down after responding to assist a U.S. Embassy ground convoy that came under fire in a Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad, said a U.S. diplomatic official in Washington. A second helicopter also was struck, but there were no casualties among its crew..."

A friend of mine who works in Baghdad has told me that the Blackwater mercenaries are the most hated people in Iraq. He avoids using them for security at all costs since he says they are public enemy #1 for all Iraqis, no matter what sect or party.


... AND UGLIER

And another helicopter has shot down today. It came during a pitched battle near Najaf. It was hit by a rocket.


UPDATE: OH, AND BY THE WAY, THE SHOULDER FIRED MISSILES THAT WILL ULTIMATELY DEFEAT AMERICA IN IRAQ... BUSH'S PALS THE SAUDIS ARE BUYING THEM FOR THE INSURGENTS

The concept of a "private citizen" in a fascist dictatorship like Saudi Arabia is odd but USA Today is reporting that "Private Saudi citizens are giving millions of dollars to Sunni insurgents in Iraq and much of the money is used to buy weapons, including shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles, according to key Iraqi officials and others familiar with the flow of cash." The Saudis deny it, of course, just like the CIA trained them to when they were shipping millions of dollars and beaucoup shoulder fired missiles to Sunni insurgents (al-Qaeda) fighting the unbelievers in Afghanistan (Russians and their Afghan allies then).