Gen. David Petraeus may junk the super-cautious rules of engagement for US troops in Afghanistan, making it easier for GIs to defend themselves.
That would be a major shift in US policy and comes as Petraeus replaces ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who promoted a policy called “courageous restraint” to reduce civilian deaths.
CNN said Petraeus will make a sweeping review of Afghan policy, including the rules of engagement, which critics says hamstring our troops and endanger their lives.
The general “knows the troops have some consternation” about the rules, a source told CNN.
Fox News said Petraeus has already decided to rewrite the rules. Petraeus’ spokesman, Col. Erik Gunhus, denied that but confirmed that he was considering a change.
What the rules actually say is classified because the Pentagon doesn’t want to give away secrets to the Taliban and their Afghan allies.
But troops say they’ve been told that they can’t fire on a suspected terrorist unless he is presenting a clear threat.
In practice, that means that if shots are being fired from a building and a man emerges from it, the GIs can’t shoot at him unless he is armed.
If a sniper fires at them, then sets aside his weapon, he cannot be fired upon — he can walk freely out of a compound, possibly toward a weapons cache in another location.
A British official who worked with Petraeus told The Daily Telegraph that there would be a noticeable change on the ground once the new commander arrives. “Gen. McChrystal imposed courageous restraint as a mantra,” he said.
McChrystal berated commanders responsible for civilian deaths and regularly apologized to the US-backed Afghan leader, Hamid Karzai, when his countrymen were killed, Rolling Stone reported this week in the article that cost the general his post.
A military analyst, who was attached to Petraeus’ staff while he commanded US forces in Iraq, said Petraeus’ attitude is different.
“His approach is to get the troops among the population and build relationships on the ground. If that involves killing while trying to engage the locals, so be it,” he said.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that Petraeus would not change overall strategy in Afghanistan but “has the flexibility to make changes that he thinks are necessary.”
Meanwhile yesterday, Petraeus paid tribute to 400 veterans — including 100 Purple Heart recipients — in upstate New Windsor, the home of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. He said today’s soldiers “stand on the shoulders” of veterans.
Breaking the ‘engagement’
New Afghan war commander Gen. David Petraeus is considering a change in the rules of engagement there to allows GIs to better defend themselves. Under the current rules:
* Generally, troops can’t fire unless the enemy presents a clear threat.
* If shots come from a building and a man emerges, troops can’t shoot unless the man is armed or drops a weapon.
* If a sniper fires on troops and puts down his weapon, troops can’t fire on him.
* Fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal called the policy “courageous restraint” and sought to reduce civilian deaths.