insurgents fighting with drugs ?

[AndrewJ]

Doom4 to be set in Iraq...attack of the zombies.

[BBKing]

I beg to differ.

By posting a link supporting my argument? Rather subtle way to differ. I quote:

"The Taleban government which took power in most of Afghanistan in the mid-1990s stamped down hard on the country's long-established heroin trade.

But with precious few other ways for Afghan farmers to make money, many of them are returning to poppy cultivation. "



1996 - Taliban takes over Afghanistan, the world's top heroin producers. They, being mad religious fundamentalists, believe that everything they need to run the country is in the Koran, which says 'no drugs'. However, being new kids on the block, they haven't got the strength to do this yet and poppy is grown in the usual large quantities.

2000 - Taliban, having consolidated their power in the preceding four years, ban drug production in accordance with their nutty religious beliefs. Being by now all-powerful, they can really back this up with enforcement action that makes Guantanamo look like a bit of a tea party, which is needed because the measure is highly unpopular. Hence drug production plummets, prices go up, people who stockpiled the stuff make a massive profit, as always happens when something is banned.

2001 - post 9/11 the Taliban realise that they are about to get walloped, so relax the ban on growing poppy in an effort to keep things together, to no avail, they're kicked out, and farmers, removed from the threat of Taliban enforcement, start growing like mad.

March 2003
"Afghanistan retook its place as the world's leading producer of heroin last year, after US-led forces overthrew the Taleban which had banned cultivation of opium poppies."

[punky]

To answer BBking's original points: Yes I meant heroin, and although Iraq doesn't produce heroin, it isn't impossible to produce drugs, and its even easier to import them. Wern't there a lot of farmers massacred by Saddam in the south because they grew drugs?

Anywho. Afghanistan isn't the only country in the middle east. The middle east includes the "Golden Crescent" of heroin: Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. You can easily dismiss allegations of drug use when it comprises of most of their modern history. AFAIK Syria used to have a big problem with drugs but have since cleaned up a bit?

Originally Posted by punky

Even so, being wired up with drugs can only do so much though. I think those marines aren't shooting well enough, or the insurgents are better armoured than the coalition realise. Even without armour though, 5 x 9mm rounds doesn't equal an immediate death sentence, especially from a distance and if they manage to not hit anything major. 50cent was shot 9 times, at close range and survived. He was shot in the face as well.

I sincerely doubt that the insurgent was shot with a submachinegun, fireing 9mm rounds.

In a USMC Rifle Platoon, there are two weapons systems available to increase the firepower of the Marines. These are :-

1). The M 240 Squad Automatic Weapon, firing a 5.56mm M198 standard Nato Ball Round.

2). The M 249 General Purpose Machinegun, firing a 7.62mm Nato Ball Round.

Having been traing in FIBUA (Fighting In Built Up Areas), the contact ranges in firefights are considerably less than those of a typical battlefield. While battlefield ranges are considered to be 300m, in Urban Warfare ranges of 50 - 100m are more likely. So putting a five round burst into the torso of a 'tango' is more than feasible. While the wounds from a military ball round, even from several rounds, prolly wont kill immediately, they do tend to put the target on their ass. For those of you who have ever seen the films of British soldiers going over the top during the Battle of the Somme, you will have seen British soldiers dropping like boned fish. This is caused by the bodies central nervous system 'shutting down' at the moment of impact. When a person is shot, they dont go spinning around as per the movies.

So, in my own opinion, if the descritions of Iraqi insurgents taking multiple gun shot wounds and not falling over. Then perhaps the yanks are correct in their assertation that insergents where under the infulence of drugs.

[Xaccers]

My money's still with Zombie activity

[STONEISLAND]

Have you guys not seen Scar face (class film) At the end he gets shot up loads of times and still stands fighting


It is possible.

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by Russ D

Very much so. If they can't beat the oposition, it's obviously because they're on drugs. Didn't the yanks come out with that approach a few years ago when a swimmer from Eire kept winning all the gold medals in the Olympics?

But, in all fairness Russ, that swimmer was then found guilty of taking drugs (I can't believe I've just supported the Americans *shudder*)

Originally Posted by skunk4u

Have you guys not seen Scar face (class film) At the end he gets shot up loads of times and still stands fighting


It is possible.

it is a film, skunk - not necessarily real

[STONEISLAND]

Originally Posted by Nugget

it is a film, skunk - not necessarily real

Dont Pee on my bonfire I thought it was a true story Gutted

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by skunk4u

Dont Pee on my bonfire I thought it was a true story Gutted

I'm just kidding

'Say hello to my leedl fren!'

[zovat]

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze

I sincerely doubt that the insurgent was shot with a submachinegun, fireing 9mm rounds.

I agree - last time I checked, the SMG was no longer in service

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze

In a USMC Rifle Platoon, there are two weapons systems available to increase the firepower of the Marines. These are :-

1). The M 240 Squad Automatic Weapon, firing a 5.56mm M198 standard Nato Ball Round.

2). The M 249 General Purpose Machinegun, firing a 7.62mm Nato Ball Round.

Having been traing in FIBUA (Fighting In Built Up Areas), the contact ranges in firefights are considerably less than those of a typical battlefield. While battlefield ranges are considered to be 300m, in Urban Warfare ranges of 50 - 100m are more likely. So putting a five round burst into the torso of a 'tango' is more than feasible. While the wounds from a military ball round, even from several rounds, prolly wont kill immediately, they do tend to put the target on their ass. For those of you who have ever seen the films of British soldiers going over the top during the Battle of the Somme, you will have seen British soldiers dropping like boned fish. This is caused by the bodies central nervous system 'shutting down' at the moment of impact. When a person is shot, they dont go spinning around as per the movies.

Again - I agree with these points.

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze

So, in my own opinion, if the descritions of Iraqi insurgents taking multiple gun shot wounds and not falling over. Then perhaps the yanks are correct in their assertation that insergents where under the infulence of drugs.

I have seen with my own eyes the effect of a 5.56 round at short range, the problem with it is that unless you hit the heart/spine, the buggers can keep coming..

with the old SLR (7.62) if someone took a hit, it did not matter where, they went down, and stayed down. However with the 5.56, they can stay up. When the adrenaline is pumping around your body, you may not even realise you have been hit.

I dealt with a wounded British soldier who was hit three times, once in the shoulder, once in the lower abdomen (missing and vital organs) and once right on the chest plate of his CBA, he continued fighting for half an hour, and only realised he was hit when the firefight was over, and he noticed he had blood on him.

The problem is that moderm weapons are deigned to wound, not to kill (it costs a lot more to treat a wounded soldier - doctors, nurses, hospitals etc, than it does to bury a dead one).

Whilst it would not suprise me in the slightest that these insurgents are taking drugs, this would only enhance the ability the body already has to keep going when logic says that you should be down and out.

as ever - my opinions only - feel free to disagree.
____________

Oh, and I forgot to mention the Americans never give their fighter pilots drugs to keep them alert - do they ?
Ahem

[Huss]

Originally Posted by punky

To answer BBking's original points: Yes I meant heroin, and although Iraq doesn't produce heroin, it isn't impossible to produce drugs, and its even easier to import them. Wern't there a lot of farmers massacred by Saddam in the south because they grew drugs?

Anywho. Afghanistan isn't the only country in the middle east. The middle east includes the "Golden Crescent" of heroin: Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. You can easily dismiss allegations of drug use when it comprises of most of their modern history. AFAIK Syria used to have a big problem with drugs but have since cleaned up a bit?

Since when is did Afganistan, Pakistan and Iran become part of Middle East/

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Huss

Since when is did Afganistan, Pakistan and Iran become part of Middle East/

Well it's not east (india) or the far east (orient) is it? and it's not central (africa), and it's not the west (americas).... so it's middle east (egypt - afghanistan/pakistan)

Technically its Asia (Sinai to the bit of russia across from Alaska), the middle east doesn't exist geographically.