The friendly fire incident in Libya wasn’t quite what it seemed, despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
At least 13 people were killed when a coalition plane fired on a rebel convoy between Brega and Ajdabiya on Friday.
The rebels’ leadership has acknowledged that firing in the air through lack of discipline could have provoked the Nato air strike on their own forces on Friday.
This is what happens when your “army” is an undisciplined rabble. When I was trained in firearms I was taught that the safety catch remained on unless I intended to use the weapon and not to point it at anyone unless I intended to kill them. This was rigorously enforced throughout that training. No one would have been allowed to shoot aimlessly into the air – not unless they wanted a gunnery instructor’s boot firmly shoved up their rectum. Ill-disciplined discharge of a weapon has consequences. In this case, an airstrike. So, I cannot find it within me to be sympathetic – even if I am sympathetic to the cause.
The opposition leadership says it is trying to bring a new professionalism to its military campaign.
Good luck with that.
In all sorts of shithole countries they get weapons and can’t wait to fire them in the air. Then gravity takes over and the bullets fall at an astonishing rate.
I wonder what the death toll is from such high spirits? Still, probably America’s fault, even if they were AK47s made in China and smuggled in by Islamists…
It does seem to be peculiar to Islamic shit-holes, yes.
But…but….but it’s their culture, innit?
I thought culture was what you found in Petri dishes?
This whole ‘firing in the air’ does end up with people being killed, as the bullet inevitably falls to earth at almost the same speed as it left the muzzle. And it is a frightful waste of bullets. I don’t think that the rebels have thought their strategy through very well, to be honest.
It could be an example of the renowned fatalism of the Arabs, such that if such a bullet falls upon them, there’s nothing that could be done to avert it, but when I saw an article the other day about each side running out of ammo, I did wonder how they’d be better off if they weren’t constantly wasting it in childish exuberance.
Not discharging it in the first instance would be a start.
When we first landed at San Carlos there was hell on when the Argentine planes attacked. Just about everyone opened up with small arms, including some with pistols!. The problem was that 42 Commando* who had gone in to the hills surrounding the place took the brunt of the bullets coming to earth.
As far as I am aware nobody was hurt but it didn’t take long for word to go out that the only people allowed to open fire were those who had been specifically tasked and their arcs of fire had been checked.
*IIRC, but may have been 40 Commando.
I’d wager that it does no such thing.
Google is your friend.
New professionalism? With Arabs?
XX I thought culture was what you found in Petri dishes?
Comment by Longrider XX
Muslim “culture”, most certaimnly the right place to look.
Also, once you have fired all your ammunition into the air, someone has to re-supply you before you can do any real fighting.
It’s really not a great idea.