A COURTESY TO THE ENEMY – AT 11:03 A.M. ET:  The Brits are our closest ally, but sometimes the things they do in deference to cultural sensitivity or the prevailing leftist culture are infuriating.  This one has infuriated members of their armed forces, and the families of British soldiers who've been killed and wounded.  From London's Telegraph:

British soldiers who spot Taliban fighters planting roadside bombs are told not to shoot them because they do not pose an immediate threat, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.

They are instead being ordered to just observe insurgents and record their position to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.

The controversial policy emerged at an inquest into the death of Sgt Peter Rayner, 34, a soldier from the 2nd Batallion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment who was killed in October last year by an improvised explosive device as he led a patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Wendy Rayner, 40, disclosed that in the days leading up to his death her husband been told that it was not his job to attack insurgents laying bombs.

Mrs Rayner, who lives with their young son in Bradford, told the inquest that the insurgents were being allowed to get away with the murder of British troops.

She said: “They are not allowed to fire on these terrorists. If they can see people leaving these IEDs, why can’t they take them out? One officer even told him 'I am an army Captain and you will do your job'.

And...

A key part of the MoD’s counter-insurgency theory holds that it is more important to win over civilians by not killing innocent people than it is to eliminate every potential insurgent.

One officer who has recently served in Afghanistan said that if a soldier wanted to ascertain if an insurgent was an immediate threat, he would have to approach him and expose himself to greater risk.

He said: “A British soldier manning a checkpoint at night might watch a man digging a hole for an IED 100 metres away and would not try to shoot at him. It’s a ludicrous situation.

COMMENT:  It certainly is.  And what a great way to recruit new soldiers!  Of course, Britain's defense cutbacks are so drastic these days that recruiting soldiers is the last thing on the minds of the political class. 

Fortunately, we haven't reached quite this point in the United States, and I don't think the American people would ever tolerate such restrictions on our troops.  But, given the kind of education our population is receiving these days, and who is doing the teaching, you never know.

July 10, 2011