The Washington Examiner has a great article on our military capturing and releasing combatants.

A marine stationed in southern Afghanistan’s volatile Helmand province told The Examiner that efforts to detain insurgent fighters are “worthless.”

Earlier this year, his unit held a man known to be working with the Taliban. The Marines had gathered evidence that the man was transporting hundreds of pounds of bomb-making equipment and explosives for the Taliban. But, shortly after they captured him, he was set free.

“Less than two weeks later, we saw the same guy walking through the bazaar,” said the marine, who spoke on condition that he not be named. “He recognized us. I wanted to shoot him right then and there. We got the guy, and yet there he was, walking around planning to kill again, and we couldn’t do a thing about it.”

If the military brass and politicians would stop trying to direct the war and instead focus on killing those who take up arms against us and those who are helping them, I think the morale of the soldiers would be higher and the war would be over. It seems ever since World War II we decided to fight the rest of our wars with one hand tied behind our back.