Don’t shoot as you’ll wake up Afghans, soldiers told
July 18th, 2011 - 7:24 pm ICT by IANS
London, July 18 (IANS) Coalition soldiers in Afghanistan were told not to shoot Taliban guerrillas planting mines as gunfire would “wake up and upset the locals”, a former soldier has claimed.
Craig Smith, 36, said US military chiefs left frontline forces frustrated by ordering them to show “courageous restraint”, The Sun reported.
He has written about the orders that were issued to troops in a diary of his six-month tour of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
A senior officer ordered them not to shoot a Taliban fighter as gunfire would “wake up and upset the locals”, the media report said.
They were instead told to stand by and watch.
In his diary in May last year Craig wrote: “After a few days it becomes apparent that when we positively identify people we cannot open fire!”
Citing an example, he wrote: “In Kajaki I saw Taliban digging in IEDs and was denied the chance to do anything about it for fear of upsetting locals. Permission to open fire was denied as it would alarm the population.”
A defence ministry spokesman said: “We have not seen the soldier’s diary, but it could be a loose interpretation of courageous restraint.”
- McChrystal's "courageous restraint" putting soldiers' lives in danger in Afghanistan - Jul 07, 2010
- Rogue Afghan soldier kills two British troops in southern Afghanistan - Mar 26, 2012
- Sniper kills guerrillas two-and-a-half km away - May 03, 2010
- Taliban 'killing their own' to wrest back control in Afghan district - Jan 31, 2011
- Rogue attack by Afghan soldier may have killed American troops - Nov 06, 2010
- Taliban kidnap British soldier in Afghanistan - Jul 04, 2011
- Brit Army to get supergun to counter Taliban snipers - Mar 18, 2011
- France suspends operations in Afghanistan after Afghan soldier kills 4 troops - Jan 21, 2012
- India to protest Pakistan's ceasefire violations - Oct 28, 2010
- US soldier kills 17 in Afghan shooting rampage - Mar 11, 2012
- Special forces winning battle against Taliban insurgents: US, UK commanders - Mar 16, 2011
- Ten troops killed in bloody day for ISAF in Afghanistan - Jun 08, 2010
- British soldier dies in southern Afghanistan - Jan 23, 2010
- 11 militants killed in Afghanistan - Mar 06, 2011
- Afghan military pilot kills eight NATO troops - Apr 28, 2011
Tags: afghanistan, afghans, craig smith, defence ministry spokesman, diary, fear, few days, guerrillas, gunfire, helmand province, ieds, locals, london, loose interpretation, military chiefs, open fire, population, soldier, sun, taliban