Written by: Beck

You have no idea how happy this makes me. Taliban guerrillas in Afghanistan beheaded several captured Afghanis. So what did Afghan forces do when they in turn captured four members of the Taliban? They cut their fucking heads off, that's what they did. I'm not naive enough to think that the US government--under any president's administration--would sanction such "unenlightened" behavior by its troops, but I'm glad to see that someone in this world still understands how to send a message. Afghanistan is a harsh, unforgiving nation containing virtually every extreme of weather, geography, and culture. You don't survive there for long by attempting to reason with enemies who favor decapitation.

Afghan soldiers beheaded four Taliban fighters after guerrillas cut off the heads of an Afghan interpreter for U.S.-led forces and an Afghan soldier, a government commander said on Tuesday.

The interpreter and the soldier were beheaded after becoming separated from a patrol of Afghan and U.S.-led foreign troops in the Arghandab district of the southern province of Zabul on Monday night, Namatullah Tokhi, commander of the government's 27th division in the province, told Reuters.

He said government troops later captured and killed four Taliban guerrillas in the same way.

"They cut off their heads with a knife, so when our forces arrested four Taliban, we cut off their heads too."

There are two counter arguments against such retaliatory behavior. First of all, it IS barbaric behavior, and stooping to the depraved level of ones enemy reduces ones own stature. Second, behavior like this leads to escalation, and could result in American captives suffering far grizzlier deaths than simple beheading. However, you also have to know your enemy. These aren't Germans or Japanese we're fighting, we're fighting men who see any hesitation or shrinking from absolute commitment, no matter what sort of violence is implied, as a sign of weakness.

I'm reminded of an Egyptian proverb a friend once told me. It's not especially humorous, it doesn't make for a good read, but it IS highly instructive. A man owned a farm, had a wife, and had many sons. Then one night, men came and stole his goose. His sons went into a rage, but the man just told them, "You must get back the goose." Later, the same men came back and stole his horses. The sons raged and vowed revenge, but the man just said, "First you must get back the goose." Later the thieves stole the farmer's wife and burn down his house. His sons find him near death and take oaths to avenge their parents, but the father simply said, "If only we had gotten back the goose--once our enemy knew that they could steal our goose, they knew they did not need to fear us at all."

Mercy can be noble, and it can serve a purpose. It can also come across as weakness, however. Once our enemies know they can revolt against our authority and succeed, they will never fear us again.

(Hat tip: Rambling's Journal)